


Mass Effect: After Earth Chronicles

by Rafael



Series: Mass Effect: After Earth Chronicles [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: AU, Gen, OCs - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, post-ME3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-08
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2017-12-10 19:37:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 51
Words: 38,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/789389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rafael/pseuds/Rafael
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe fan fic set ten years after the Battle of Earth based on my version of the Mass Effect trilogy ending. </p><p>The year is 2196.</p><p>After a costly victory against Reaper forces in the Sol system, the Citadel races struggle to rebuild. Earth bares the scars of the assault, and billions depend, more than ever, on the resources of the outer colonies. The other races fair little better. The fall of Thesia leads to a collapse of the Asari Republics. The surviving Matriachs now fight over the scraps. The salarians withdraw from galactic affairs leaving . Protecting Citadel space is now in the hands of the remnants of the turian and human fleets</p><p>In the Terminus Systems, former Alliance marine, Theodore “Theo” Thompson-Ramos leads a team of “security experts” against batarian slaver attacks on human colonies.</p><p>And over the horizon the millennial enemy looms, hidden in the dark recesses of the galaxy.</p><p>The tides of war may turn, but this conflict is far from over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dream

The Dream, always the same.  
Sometimes I dream it often,  
Sometimes I forget,  
But It always comes back,

Always the same...

A Beam that shatters bedrock,  
A Wail that pierces eardrums,  
A Smell that fills nostrils,

Always the same...

My love Helena waving goodbye,  
Happy face, sad smile,  
Earth drowns in tears of joy and cries of pain,

Always the same...

The Beam sweeps forward,  
The Infernal gears grind,  
The City cries out,  
The Fire engulfs us,

It is always, always, always the same....


	2. Ambush

Hades Gamma Cluster, Arvandor System, Arborea, March 3rd 2196

We got a warning that the slavers were incoming, ETA twenty minutes. Enough time to reach my position and activate the cloak.

I was in the zone.

No space in the zone for panic or hatred. Fear was useful, as warning sign, an alert of something to watch out for. In the zone, action supplanted thought. Honed reflexes took over. Actions determined by the need of the moment. If the enemy charged, then hold, or flank, or counterattack. Information received, assimilated, acted upon in an endless cycle until the battled ended.

I looked through the scope at the batarian slavers. They divided in three groups: Packers, Holders, and Catchers. The Packers unloaded cages from the ship's cargo hold. The Holders set up a perimeter around the landing zone with kinetic barrier generators. Squads of Catchers fanned out amongst the colony's buildings.

Reports came in through the narrow ban network Pasha set up. It was a miniature version of the Flotilla's ship-to-ship network. Small antennas a top each of the colonies buildings transmitted information on a point to point basis. Limited in range but almost undetectable unless someone stood in the path of the tight microwave beam.

"Planetary defense network, standing by."

"All civilians inside the safe house and accounted for."

"Ranger Two and Three report eyes on target."

"Talon One and Two loaded and ready to go."

I keyed the radio, "All units stand by. Ranger two and three, on my signal target generators first then fire at will."

I cycled through the vid feeds on my eye piece. A pair of Catchers worked a pre-fab's front door. One hacked the lock while the other watched his back. I switched to an interior view. The door slid open. An automatic turret activated. Gunfire cut down the batarian. More gun turrets and security mechs sprung up from cover. I focused on the Holders. The first volley shot down the generators. A flip on the ammo selector change the rounds from standard to inferno I counted between breaths, held one and squeezed the trigger. The batarian's head exploded like a ripe melon.

I was still in the zone.

"Pasha, deploy the heavy mechs. Talon, move in," I said.

Packers ran back into the ship. One caught a round in the back. His burnt carcass slid down the loading ramp. The mechs pushed the Catchers into the open. Two Mantis gunships roared overhead, their machine guns mowed them down. Their corpses littered the open field.

No space for pity or elation in the zone. The batarians were targets to be serviced. The pirate ship took off in a cloud of dust. Action demanded a reaction.

"Pasha, activate defense grid."

Missiles streaked in. The ship's GARDIAN lasers shot down the first volley, but ground based mass accelerators ripped through the ship's defenses. The ship clawed for altitude. A second volley converged on the target. The missiles blasted huge holes in the hull. The smoking wreck disappeared over the horizon.

"Ranger One to Talon One, I need a pick up."

Talon One hovered at the edge of the rooftop. I leapt into the open cargo compartment packed with a squad of colonial militia.

Rodan looked over his shoulder, "Colonel, the kid has something he wants to tell you."

"Patch him through," I said.

"Colonel, I detected an escape pod laving the ship before it crashed. It is twenty-two point four klicks from your location," said Pasha.

"Understood. Tell Talon Two to continue to the main crash site, we are diverting to the pod."

The pod crashed on a marsh at the edge of the Sudamount.

"No place for me to land, Colonel ," said Rodan.

"Just get us as close as you can," I said. I jumped from the cargo compartment to the ground below. I sunk to my knees on a pool of fetid water. The squad splashed around me. The men fanned out, weapons at the ready. The pod door laid a few meters away, blasted free on impact. I peeked in, rifle barrel pointed at the occupant. Blood splattered all over the interior.

Corporal Hendricks scanned him with his omni-tool. "He is alive, barely," he applied omni-gel to the wound. "I think he is going to make it, but that wound looks nasty."

"Pasha, send in a medivac shuttle. We got a prisoner."


	3. Debriefing

Hades Gamma Cluster, Arvandor System, Arborea, Militia HQ, March 4th 2196

Captain Galeena T'iala, my second in command, sipped on a glass as I came into the room. She made multiple notations on the datapad. Her gun, an M-6 Carnifex with the letters V E R O stenciled in white block letters on the gun barrel, rested on the table among a stack of thermal clips. She poured me a glass. The cool taste of cold red wine mixed with fruit and soda flooded my throat.

"Sangria?" I asked.

"Chilean wine, from Santo Santiago," she said, her crystal blue eyes fixed on the pad.

"Plus tupo berry juice. Isn't that a bit a girly?"

"Asari are mono-gendered."

"With tits," I said with a smirk.

"Anyone else…"

"…would be a smear in the nearest wall right about now," I finished with an even wider smile. "But I got to admit, those monks do know their wine. So what's our status?"

She rested her chin on her steepled fingers, "All units performed as expected although mech losses were higher than projected."

"Better mechs than men."

She punched some figures into the pad, "Air support was slower than expected." I didn't notice any delay, but in the zone the mind prioritize inputs.

"I'll talk to Rodan about shaving a few seconds from his response time," I said.

"Already done. He insisted that I tell you that the first aerospace wing is ready for deployment."

"Good, the first escort carrier is out of the yard. We might have to switch construction of the second batch to a Quarians. Tyr is filled up with Alliance orders, something about a new line of frigates. My old contacts at Alliance command told me there might be a deployment gap' this year. They ran their existing ships ragged and the construction schedule has slipped again. That means more pressure on us to fill in the gap."

"The investors won't be happy."

"No, but I'm guessing today's op will convince them we are on the right track. Invest on defending their corporate assets or watch pirates strip them bare. Still means going back to Bekenstein hat in hand."

"Of course," she said. A slight quiver in her voice, and ten years of working together, told me something was wrong.

"What's up?"

She leaned back on the chair, "It's… it's an anniversary of sorts, Sir."

I locked the door with my omni-tool, "Theo."

She shrugged, "Twenty years and two days," her hand rested on the pistol. "I married my Veronica in a villa on the shores of Lake Como." She slammed a fist on the table, "Damn bastard Udina took her away from me."

I caught a thermal clip that rolled off the table, "What happened?"

"When Cerberus hit the Citadel they hunted her down. I mean, a human diplomat with an Asari bondmate…I didn't find about it after the war was over, but they told me she put a hell of a fight."

"Better standing up that on one's knees," I said.

We raised our glasses, "Cheers to that," she said. The color drained from her eyes. Haunted grey pools stared back at me. "And you, Sir?"

"Helena, Vancouver, Earth, March 6, 2186," I said.

"The Reapers. Forget I said anything."

"Yes, the Reapers," in my mind's eye I saw a red beam shred the foundation of office building. It tumbled into English bay like the proverbial house of cards and took a part of me with it. Almost everybody alive today had lost a Veronica or Helena.

"I think that's why so few of us, Asari I mean, make it to Matriach. We die from broken hearts. Those that you love always leave scars behind."

"Who wants to live forever?"

"Exactly?"

I wished I could tell her that those that we loved made us stronger. I wished I could lie. But she lost something on the Citadel that no words would bring back.

"I guess the only thing we can do is carry on as the selfish--"

"Bitches," she threw in.

"And bastards that we are."

She slid the datapad across the table.

"What's this?"

"It's about the prisoner, Sir."

I read the report, "A batarian abolitionist?"

"And our source or at least one of them."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Arrange transport off world. We need to put him back into circulation as soon as possible. Without the abolitionist help we will lose advance warning on slave raids."

I thought about it. This was Galeena bread and butter. Her sources were solid. Without them, toady's op would have failed.

"It explains the shot on the shoulder. Somebody managed to put two and two together," I said. She nodded. "How soon can he be back in business?"

"Don't know, Sir. The less I know about my sources' methods, the better."

I poured myself a last shot, "Makes sense. Good work Captain."

"Thank you, Sir."


	4. Investors

Steiner-Satori Estate, 24km Southeast off Milgrom, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, March 14, 2196

A pair of security mechs armed with assault rifles guarded the door. On the other side a vanilla painted room covered in windows on three sides. Beyond rose the tall spires jutted of Milgrom an archipelago in Sagan Bay. Mrs. Steiner's guests, some of the richest men and women in Citadel space, lounged around the room or queued to the bar for drinks.

Time to mingle," I said to Galeena. She moved to corner where she could see the whole room.

Pratchett Peters, of ExSolar Shipping, waved at me, "Theo, glad to see you again. Maybe we can get this shindig started already," he said. He ran a hand over a thin wave of blond hair, a vain attempt to forestall male pattern baldness. He leaned closer, his breath heavy with vermouth, "How's colonial life treating you, eh? I noticed an uptick in TRS stock. Anything I should know?"

I ordered Rum & Coke, "Just check the public record, Peters."

"Still riding the Arborea wave, no?"

"Something like that," I said.

A krogan, one Mr. Turok, stepped to the bar, "Ryncol please."

"Well, I better find a comfortable seat before they are all taken. I'll talk to you later," said Peters. He darted to the farthest point from the bar.

"Coward," I said.

Mr. Turok chuckled, "Was it something I said?"

"Considering Mr. Peters current blood alcohol level it was better for him to retire than to say something that would cost him," I said.

"A pity. Mr. Peters is a savvy businessman," said Mr. Turok. He downed the glass of ryncol in one shot.

"When sober," I said.

"Indeed."

I looked around the room. The occupants reflected the upper echelons of Bekenstein society such as Charles Mancuso of Nezo Transportation and Sarah Kalo of Elegant Artist, all of them human except for Mr. Turok, Galeena and a third asari I did not recognize.

"At the risk of sounding extremely ignorant, do you know anything about the asari chatting with Mr. Beckmann," I asked Mr. Turok.

"We are all ignorant Mr. Thompson-Ramos. The difference between the fool and the wise man is that the latter chooses to fill the gaps in his understanding. The young asair in question is Ms. Malena Dantius, CEO of Dantius Biotech and last surviving member of the Dantius family," said Mr. Turok.

"You are well informed, Mr. Turok."

"Mr. Thax had extensive business dealings with the Dantius family. However, Mr. Thax lost contact with the family after he vacated Ilium, and never had any direct dealings with the youngest member of the family but...."

"But what?"

Mr. Turok leaned closer, "Anesidora Dantius had a penchant for genetic determinism. She elected her bondmates with great care. The father of her first daughter, Dahlia, was a batarian. Rumor has it that she dabbled in slavery. The middle child father was a crafty salarian always in search of a quick credit."

"And Malena?"

"Her father is a turian, still very much alive and living his last days here on Bekenstein under his daughter's well paid care."

"I bet that made for some interesting family reunions."

"Indeed."

Gloria Maria Steiner Satori made her entrance in a charcoal gray dress contrasted by long golden locks. She sat down near the screen on the south wall. The others followed suit.

Showtime.

"Mrs. Steiner thank you for hosting this meeting," I said. She nodded. I launched into a description of the current situation in the Terminus systems. Various charts showed a steady decrease in raids on human colonies and a rise in profits. I read the crowd: a smile here, a nod there. They liked what they had seen so far.

Time to hit them with bad news.

"However, attacks on shipping continue across the Terminus systems. In order to counter this threat we initiated Phase Three which involves the construction of four escort carriers and eight cruisers. Two carriers and four cruisers are already on line and we expect the rest to be available by the fourth quarter of the year," a few pressed lips and silent sighs told me they feared what came next. "If trends continue we will need to triple the size of the force by the second quarter of next year, a total force of between ten to twelve carriers and up to twenty light cruisers."

A voice from the back shouted, "Are we supposed to do the Alliance job for them?"

I raised a finger, "One, the Terminus systems are beyond Alliance jurisdiction," a second finger, "Two, they are still rebuilding from the war," and a final finger, "Third, Alliance protection comes with Alliance taxation."

"I'm not giving my credits to the Alliance. God knows what they will waste it on," said Mancuso.

"God forbid they spend in on orphans or war widows," said Peters. Inside the cowardly lion lay a gold nugget.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, what is the point of doing business in the Terminus if we can gate our goods to market? Mr. Thompson-Ramos has an excellent record when it comes to dealing with these matters, and I for one support him fully," she said with a raised wine glass. Others, including Ms. Dantius and Mr. Turok nodded in agreement. Steiner had the deepest pockets in the room. She controlled the farms that fed billions across Alliance space and was a major backer of colonial construction projects. It all came down to food and shelter.

Something caught my eye in the sky beyond the room. A dark, bat like silhouette rushed forward with yellow sparks coming from its nose followed by a long buzzing sound.

"Everybody down!"


	5. Assassination

Steiner-Satori Estate, 24km Southeast off Milgrom, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, March 14, 2196

“Get down!” I pushed Mrs. Steiner to the ground. Autocannon rounds shattered the windows. Galeena erected a biotic barrier around us. It muffled the roar of the explosions that ripped the room apart. Galeena kneeled beside me, exhausted.

The door opened. A pair of mechs armed with M8 assault rifles fired long burst into the bodies on the floor. Fountains of blood erupted from them. I tried to hack one of the nearest mech with my omintool.

“Viral attack detected. Firewalls active,” it said. I stared up at the barrel of a gun.

“RAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!” Something slammed both mechs against the wall and ran past.

“Blood rage?” I asked Galeena.

“Blood rage,” she replied. Mr. Turok guttural roar reverberated throughout the house. She handed me one of the rifles from a defunct mech.

Malena Dantius rose to her feet. Blue blood oozed from her broken nose, “Are…are you alright?” she asked.

I helped Mrs. Steiner to her feet, “So far so good.”

Galeena crouched under the windowsill, “Sir, you better take a look at this.” I moved in a half crouch to her position. I took a peak. Troops deployed from a pair of gunships. I tried the com again, but no luck. “Platoon strength with air support.”

“And control of the security mechs inside,” I said, “Suggestions?”

“We can’t stay here, sir,” she said.

Mr. Turok would take down anyone or anything he encountered, but even an enraged Krogan was no match against a platoon backed by gunships.

“We need an exit strategy?” I said.

“All my Nezo aircars are armored and have kinetic barriers generators. I have two of them in the basement garage,” said Mrs. Steiner.

“That gives us a way out, if we can deactivate the mechs,” I said.

“All the security mechs are controlled from the central mainframe downstairs. I have the access codes,” she said.

“Galeena, take the ViPs to the garage, I’ll secure the main frame,” I said.

“Understood, sir.”

I engaged my tactical cloak and followed the path of destruction left by the krogan. Distant gunfire told me someone had their hands full.

Better them than me.

Two LOKI mechs guarded the door to the mainframe. I shifted to the Zone. A series of quick jabs with the electro-blades shorted the mechs out. One security code input later and I was inside the server room. I nearly tripped over the body dressed in catering uniform, pupils fully dilated. The server logs showed the last access five minutes ago followed by the activation of the fire suppression system, sans alarms. The inert gas snuffed the oxygen out of the room in seconds. I quarantined the intrusion VI in the system, copied it and rebooted the mech control software.

SECURITY REBOOT IN PROGRESS. FIFTEEN LOKI UNITS ACTIVE. NINE AERIAL DRONES ON STANDBY. SYSTEM PURGE COMPLETE. IFF RECALIBRATED. SELECT NEW IFF PARAMETERS. ENGAGE ALL EXCEPT IDSTIENER-IDTHOMPSOMRAMOS-IDGALEENAT’IALA-IDMALENADANTIUS-IDURDNOTTUROK.

With the mechs taken care off I headed for the garage. Galeena prepped one of the shuttles, a Nezo Gazelle-Z 2196. It had all the leather interiors, wooden trim and latest auto-nav systems that make the Gazelle series shine and I had no time to admire the craftsmanship. I punched the throttle the moment the doors opened. The Nezo slid under it with a few millimeters to spare.

“Galeena, contact headquarters, we need--” an explosion shook the shuttle.

“Kinetic barriers at forty-two percent,” announced the onboard VI in a sing-song voice reserved for elevators and fast food kiosks.

A gunship appeared on the rearview screen. I dove into a nearby construction site. Gunfire tore apart dry wall to our left. I careened through the skeleton of a skyscraper. Twin explosions pounded the shuttles hull.

“This is Captain T’iala to base. We are on a civilian shuttle under attack by an unknown gunship. Requesting immediate fire support,” said Galeena over the radio.

“Kinetic barriers at thirty-seven percent,” said the VI. I muted the audio. Nobody needed a reminder of how many percentage points stood between us and the grim reaper. Another gunship popped behind the first.

“Colonel, is that you?” asked Rodan over the radio.

“Affirmative, could you do something about our little problem,” I said.

“On it,” he said. The enemy gunship banked right. I swung the shuttle around to fly back to Milgrom when another gunship descended in front of us.

No place to run.

I switched all power to the thrusters.

“Galeena, barrier, now!”

Galeena’s biotic barrier engulfed the inside of the cabin. Rounds bounced off the shuttle’s nose. I rammed the side of the ship with a deafening screech of metal on carbon fiber armor. The world spun out of control. The shuttle crashed inside the fifth floor another unfinished skyscraper. My vision blurred. A spike of pain ran from elbow to shoulder blade. The shuttle doors opened. I fell out into the dusty floor. Every breath brought spasms of pain. I used the M8 as a makeshift crutch. Every single motion was rewarded with fresh waves of pain. A familiar shade darkened the sky. The enemy gunship was back. A long scar ran the side of the cockpit. Twin autocannons on the nose pointed at me.

Time for the last dance.

I balanced the rifle on the crook of my broken left arm.

“Come on you bastard, let’s do this!”

The gunship’s port nacelle disintegrated under a barrage of rocket fire. Thrust from the starboard side flipped the ship on its back. It crashed five stories below in a ball of fire.

“Sorry for the delay Colonel. Had to take care of a pesky bug. Evac shuttles are on….” Rodan words faded into darkness.


	6. Jurisdiction

TRS Corporate HQ, Milgrom, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, March 18, 2196

 

"Are you sure he's alright?" asked the girl on the screen above my bed.

I adjusted the bed to get a better look at the console, "He's fine Oriana. He wasn't even there." My left elbow itched, which was a vast improvement from the nerve shattering pain of a few days before. Thank God for pain killers and skilled surgeons.

Oriana nodded, the but her voice trembled a bit, "Okay. It's just that he hasn't called or emailed in a few days and I was worried."

"That's my fault. Somebody had to step in and do the heavy lifting while I took a nap," I said.

"Ah...of course," she said. Her blue eyes lit up, "Miri is on the field. The southern farms have had some problems with pyjacks stealing grain but I can get her on the link."

"No, that's okay," I said with a wave of my right hand.

"You really need to talk to her, Theo," she said. She pouted in that Lawson way, with thick pressed lips and and angry squint that screamed disappointed with extra ton of disapproval thrown in for good measure.

"Have I ever told you that you're too smart for my own good."

"Don't change the subject. This is about you and my sister," she said with her head canted to the left.

"I know. Listen Ori, I want to do this right, it's just, just not easy," I said.

She sighed, "Fine, but don't put off forever. My sister deserves better."

"That she does. "A soft bell chimed, "Listen, I got to take care of something. Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets some leave to visit you, as soon as I can spare him, okay?"

A tall, blond with a boy cut in a business suit strolled in.

"So what can I do for the Milgrom police department today?" I asked.

Detective Cruz sat down, eyes fixed on a datapad balanced on her knee, "I just need to go over a few things Mr. Thompson."

"Thompson-Ramos," I said.

"Sorry,Mr. Thompson-Ramos," she said without taking her eyes from the datapad, "So, you spotted the attackers fist?"

"Yes. A Mantis gunship."

"Similar to the ones used by your company, correct?" she asked.

Ah hell no!

I took a deep and painful breath. The arm was better, but the rib cage still ached. She was baiting me and I wasn't going to fall for it.

"The A-61 Mantis gunship is a very popular model among mercenaries, planetary governments and police departments. I believe MPD has a full squadron of them, last time I checked," I said through clenched teeth.

"I see," she said, again without even glancing at me. "So, the gunship came fairly close to the building before it fired, yes?"

"Yes. Whoever flew it wanted us dead."

"So you believe that you were the target of the attack?"

"Hard to tell since the shock effect from rocket fire doesn't care who is in the way."

Her black eyes snapped up. It was the first time since entered the room that she looked me,"What was the nature of the meeting?"

"That is confidential, I'm afraid," I said with a smirk.

"I could get a warrant for the records," she replied nonplus. But her eyes had that, 'Don't push me buddy,' stare so common in cops with little patience and less sense.

I gave her one of my own, "No you can't, Detective. This is billions of credits above your pay grade and I suspect few parsecs beyond your jurisdiction."

"Nobody is above the law, Mr. Thompson," she said.

"That's Mr. Thompson-Ramos, Detective-Inspector Alisa Marie Cruz," I said. Her lips curled at the sound of her full name, like a child called out by her mother. "Yes, I looked at your record and you do have an impressive arrest to conviction ratio but...", I sat up on the bed,"but you're a city cop, a good one, but just a cop. Five of the fifty richest in Alliance space are dead and two of the survivors are the richest in Citadel space. Yet, here am I, talking to you instead of an Alliance rep or a Spectre. Do you know why?"

She folded her arms across her chest, "Enlighten me, Mr. Thompson-Ramos."

"Because somebody wants this to disappear. What better way than to send someone with limited resources to investigate, have them find nothing and drop this into a cold case file never to be reopened again?"

"Do you want this to," she made air quotes, "disappear?"

"No, Detective. I want to find whoever is responsible. That is why my company has cooperated fully with your investigation."

"But you won't tell me what the meeting was about."

"Op-sec."

"Bullshit!"

I shook my head, "I'll tell you if you agree to share what you have on the case."

Her jaw dropped, "Share information. No, I don't work with mercs."

"If you want to get to the bottom of this, you will."

She got up to leave, "Not a chance."

"You don't have a choice. If you're lucky, and that is a big if, your will catch a patsy or two and whoever did this will remain out of your reach," I said. She needed proof that I could be trusted. I entered a code on the console.

"Security Screen Activated," said the building VI.

"What did you do?" asked Detective Cruz.

"Security field. Jams personal wireless networks," I said.

"You can't do that!" she tried the door but it did not open.

"It also locks the doors. The answer to your question is that it was an meeting with our financial backers. My company has spent the last decade securing human colonies all over the Terminus systems. Training and equipping planetary militias was step one, now we are moving to step two."

"Which is?"

"Creating a rapid reaction force of patrol cruisers and escort carriers to protect shipping lanes and support colonies under attack. I hope you can see why somebody would want to throw a monkey wrench into the proceedings."

She tapped the datapad and handed it to me, "Explains this."

It showed several pictures of a batarian on the slab of the local morgue. Another pic showed the back of the neck with a blurred image. At first I thought it has been censored but then I realized that someone had done a poor job of erasing a tattoo: a tattoo of a blue sun.

"Did they all have this?"

"No, just the one. We check for traces of acid wash, but found none on the others. We suspect that he was former Blue Suns before he joined with this outfit."

"But all of them batarians?" I asked

"All except for the caterer in the server room," she said.

"Which points to a inside source, one with lost of money. That VI they introduced into the server was high end software," I said.

"We went over the guest list. Do you remember seeing Anthony Andorff there?" she asked.

I closed my eyes and focused on a mental picture of the room. Faces appeared but none matched Mr. Andorff's.

"No. It can't be a coincidence."

"I don't think so."

"Then he is involved in this somehow. I could follow the mercenary angle for you, Detective, while you share anything you get out of Andorff. I think it would best way forward."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because I could go over your head and have superiors either you or pull you from the case. But I like said, I checked your dossier. You are good at what you do and I need that. Besides, going the Governor of the Chief Inspector would be petty at the best. You are the one on the ground doing the hard work."

She put her hand on her hip, "And what do I get out of this."

"A favor from the CEO of a major security company. You never know when that can come in handy."

She sighed, "You're still suspect, you know."

"I know."


	7. Questioning

Metropolitan Police Headquarters, Milgrom, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, March 18, 2196

A constable showed us to the witness side of the interrogation room. Inspector-Constable Cruz led Mr. Andorff and his attorney into the interrogation side. A wall size one way mirror stood between us.

Andorff sniffed the air, “You people have been harassing me for days. As I told you, detective-”

The Inspector looked down on her datapad, “Inspector.”

“Yes, Inspector. Like I said, I had a nasty flu that day,” said Andorff. His attorney sat beside him with a blank stare. These two had danced this dance before.

“I know, Mr. Andorff, we just want to go over a few things, for the record,” she said, her eyes still on the pad.

Andorff ran a hand over his bald forehead, “Fine.”

“What was the reason for the meeting at the Steiner-Satori estate, Mr. Andorff?” asked Cruz.

He shrugged, “It was an investors meeting, proposed by one Mr. Thompson-Ramos.”

“Of Thompson-Ramos Security Services?”

“The same.”

And what was the nature of the investment scheme, Mr. Andorff?”

“I don’t really know. Steiner-”

“Mrs. Steiner-Satori, correct?”

“Yes,” growled Andorff. His attorney placed a hand on Andorff shoulder. Andorff shook it off, “Yes. She invited me to the meeting, but like I said I had the flu so I did not go.”

“You had no idea of what the meeting was about?”

“No.”

“And this was the first time you were invited?”

“Yes.”

Cruz got up. She fixed her glare down on Andorff, “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course I am!” said Andorff.

She pressed a switch on the wall. A light came on our side dispelling the illusion of the mirror. Andorff jaw dropped when he saw the three of us: Mr. Tuvok to my left and Ms. Dantius to my right. I waved at him, Mr. Tuvok smiled and Ms. Dantius crossed her arms.

Cruz pointed at us, “According to our witnesses you were part of the investment group for years.”

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Andorff’s attorney.

“Shut up Manny!” shouted Andorff.

“I am simply allowing your client to confront his accusers. I mean, the sheer of coincidence of of Mr. Andorff flu symptoms is remarkable, downright life saving, but not very useful on the streets of Milgrom,” she said.

“This…this is outrageous!” protested the attorney.

Rivulets of sweat cascaded from Androff’s forehead, “Dammit Manny, shut the hell up!”

Cruz slammed her palms on the tabletop, “I can not protect you Mr. Andorff unless you cooperate with me. “

“I want immunity!” screeched Andorff.

Cruz switched the light on the witness side off, “I can not do that. I can, however, offer you witness protection, contingent on your full cooperation.”

Andorff looked at his attorney. The attorney nodded. A veritable torrent of information flowed through Andorff’s lips: connections to Red Sand dealers, how he was pressured into paying for, and how he helped smuggle in the batarian mercenaries into the planet. Cruz came to see us after two constables took Andorff away.

“Well played, Inspector,” said Mr. Tuvok.

“I apologize for playing into certain species based stereotypes, Mr. Tuvok,” said Cruz.

Mr. Tuvok chuckled, “It all worked out for the best.”

Cruz pointed at a waiting officer, “The constable will see you out.” She waited until Mr. Tuvok and Ms. Dantius were out of earshot then turned to me, “Well Mr. Thompson-Ramos, I kept my side of the bargain.”

“That you did. I’ll take care of the rest,” I said.

“Make sure that whatever you do, Mr. Thompson-Ramos, you keep it out of my streets. Connections or not, I will go after you if I have to.”

“Duly noted, Inspector.”

“Now I have to take care of ye old paperwork,” she said.

I called Galeena the moment I left police headquarters, “Captain, batarians involvement confirmed.”

“Orders?” asked Galeena.

“The hunt is on.”


	8. Capture

Operations Center, SSV Daedalus, Camala, Indris System, Kite's Nest Nebula, April 17, 2196

An image of Camala floated above the conference table. Thick gray clouds, crisscrossed with chalky bands of dust, covered the surface. Captain Galeena T'iala, Rodan Quintus, Pasha and myself stood around the table.

I pointed at the planet, "The Reapers did a number on the place during the war. First they destroyed the colony's infrastructure, then they turned the population into cannibals and on their way out the bombed the planet with multi-megaton warheads. Before that the average surface temperature was thirty eight degrees, today it's hovers around five degrees." I traced the bands with a finger, "Those are clouds of dust form element zero caught in the jet stream. Nobody walks down there without full protection unless they want to commit suicide by tumor."

Rodan tilted his head silver tribal face paint reflected the light from the display, “Nice."

"And,” the image zoomed in on a spot in the northern hemisphere, “according to Captain T'iala's intel, our target is here." It revealed a large refinery complex. The face of a batarian popped up beside the aerial view of the refinery. "This is Altiari Had' dah, heir to the Had' dah element zero fortune and CEO of Dah' ta Manufacturing Corporation, the company that owns the refinery. According to our teams on site, he is inside running the facility. Captain T'iala followed the money trail from the attack on Milgrom right to this bastard. I want him alive, if possible," I said.

"So what's the plan?" asked Rodan.

"Prowler One and Two will link up with the Ranger teams on the surface. I'll be in charge of Prowler One, while the captain leads Prowler Two. You," I pointed at Rodan, "will be in charge of the Prometheus fighter wing and will provide force protection. After we secure the prisoner, Pasha takes Prowler Three and extracts as much data from the refineries computers. Any questions?"

"And if he resists?" asked Galeena.

"Then we hope that Utah can get us some useful intel from Dah' ta's systems. I want to know everything about Had' dah, his operations and why he wanted the wealthiest people in Citadel space dead," I said.

"Understood Colonel," said Galeena.

"Okay, everybody to their stations. We leave in fifteen. Dismissed."

Galeena and Rodan saluted while Pasha nodded.

High winds buffeted the shuttle on decent. Sergeant Elisa Jurgen read a spicy retro-romance titled Suns of Desire, the other members of Prowler one chatted or slept.

I moved to the cockpit. "ETA?" I asked the pilot.

"Seven minutes to the LZ, colonel. By the way, once we get back to Daedalus, you might consider buying the maintenance crew a round of drinks," said the pilot.

"And why should I do that?" I asked.

"Because," the shuttled rocked, "decontaminating these birds is going to be a bitch. I muted the toxic alarm the moment we hit high atmo. Nothing is more annoying than a VI telling you, 'the atmosphere outside the craft contains elevated levels of element zero. Please check the environmental seals on your hard suits before exiting the craft' over and over again. I mean, who the hell talks like that anyway?" asked the pilot.

"A smart ass shuttle VI, apparently," I said.

"Riiight. I wished it was that smart," he said.

"If it was, lieutenant, it would be flying this brick instead of you," I said with a Cheshire grin.

"Lucky me."

The ride smoothed out past the lower cloud boundary. I slipped into the zone the moment my boots hit the ground. My mind cataloged the environment, from the broken terrain, to the long columns of dust devils. It took forty minutes over broken terrain to reach Ranger One's observation post. They set up on a hillock overlooking the eastern side of the refinery. I crawled the last ten meters to where corporal Hitomi position. She watched the facility through the sights of a sniper rifle. I took out my Black Widow and followed suit. Massive fires crowned the forest of flames stacks that rose from the heart of the refinery.

I patched all groups to my frequency, "Sitrep?"

"A shuttle landed about two hours ago. A hanar disembarked and met an armed party. We ID them by the radio chatter as batarians. One of them identified himself as the Had' dah, but you would need to get within range of their personal wireless networks to confirm it," said corporal.

"Security?"

"LOKI mechs patrol the grounds in pairs. We spotted at least three pairs at any given time. No aerial surveillance and the video coverage is spotty at best. Anybody could waltz up to the front door. Heat scans aren't reliable, but we have life signs in the control room and the living quarters one the north end of the refinery," she said.

"Understood. Prowler One will secure the eastern landing pad, Prowler Two goes for the living quarters. All Ranger units are on direct fire support. Do not fire unless fired upon or are in immediate danger," I said. The teams answered with a series of clicks. "Let's move."

The ground trembled to the rhythm of industrial processes.

"Prowler One, this is Ranger One, you have a mech patrol coming your way," said corporal Hitomi from her vantage point.

"Understood Ranger One," I said. I flashed a few hand signals to the rest of the team then engaged my cloak. The mechs marched past our position. One of the mechs stopped, looked right at where I stood, then moved on.

A minute later Ranger One came on the radio, "Prowler One, you are clear to proceed."

I clicked the mike in response. The landing pad connected to the control room by a walkway. Prowler One took positions around the platform while I went to the door. The door opened the moment I activated my omni-tool. I dived out of the way. A hanar floated by, flanked by six men in full armor armed with assault rifles and a seventh with a pistol. I decrypted their personal wireless network in less than a second. The one with the pistol was Had' dah.

I whispered into the mic, "Ranger and Prowler teams, target the guards and wait for my signal."

"This one is most pleased with the progress made. Those that follow the doctrine will continue to support the efforts here," said the hanar. He used higher level of inscription on his network. It would take more than a simple scan to identify him.

"The gods smile upon our enterprise. Soon we will finish what they started," said Had' dah.

"It will be a glorious day when the Ens-" The hanar's barriers flashed, followed by a series of ripples that spread through its body. It collapsed in a heap in the middle of the walkway.

"All units, time on target," I ordered. The batarian guards went down in a fusillade from both teams. Had'dah ran back to the door, but I took him down with a single hit of my electro-blade set to stun.

Rodan came over the radio, " I got eyes on a shuttle taking off one and half clicks from your position. I'm on an intercept course."

"Whoever they are I want them alive," I said.

"Will do my best, colonel," he said.

"Prowler One and Two, secure the facility, Prowler Three, you are clear to land," I said.

Rodan kept a running commentary over the radio, "This guy knows his way around a shuttle's controls...firing first warning shots...still jinking...trying to lose me in the cloud cover...Falcon Flight cover the upper atmosphere...diving back down...sensors probably picked up Falcon...second warning burst...okay, he got the message...circling back to Ranger Two's position...Ranger Two he is all yours."

I took a shuttle to the landing area. Ranger Two surrounded the shuttle with weapons drawn.

Sergeant Sestak snapped a salute, "They powered down systems but haven't come out yet."

The shuttle doors opened. A sniper rifle hit the ground, followed by a sub-machine gun. A humanoid walked out with his arms over his head.

"I surrender, colonel," said the stranger in a deep raspy voice.

A member of Ranger Two scanned him with his omni-tool, "He is a drell, sir."

Just great.


	9. Guests

Security Level, SSV Daedalus, Camala, Indris System, Kite’s Nest Nebula, April 17, 2196

“The Old Gods wait in Hidden Spaces! We will usher their glorious return and they will uplift us to Eternity!” cried the lunatic formerly known as Altiari Had’ dah. I shut the cell door. Galeena waited in the hallway.

“I swear if I have to listen to that idiot rant about how the end is nigh for one more second, he’ll end up with two black eyes,” I said.

“We could try a pharmacological approach,” she said.

“And risk a psychotic break? No. Lets transfer him to the Alliance. There is enough evideonce to convict him for the bombing of the Steiner-Satori estate,” I said.

Galeena pressed a finger to her lips, “He mentioned ‘gods in dark spaces’,” she said.

“So?”

“The hanar spoke of the Enkindlers before it was gun down,” she said.

“You mean the Protheans? But as far I know the batarians don’t worship them, do they?”

“As I understand it, the batarians religion, like most of their society prior to the war, is highly hierarchical. It is based on the believe in the a tier of ‘ancients’ that stem from elder chthonic-creator gods to honor family elders-”

“You lost me at ko, ko what?”

“Chthonic, belonging or related to the elemental forces of nature like wind or water. All divine powers fitted a strict pantheon that mirrored the batarian caste system,” she said with the patience of a primary school teacher.

That sounded familiar, “As in Heaven so shall it be on Earth?”

“Something like that.”

“I still don’t see the relation between Prothean worship and sun worship,” I said.

She sighed, “We know of… two civilizations directly influenced by the Protheans in the prehistory. The hanar and my people.”

“So you think the Protheans did the same with the batarians?”

“The Protheans were a highly imperialistic culture with penchant for uplifting younger races to serve their needs. Inculcating a stratified religion based on strict obedience would ease the batarians entry into their empire,” she said.

“That doesn’t sound like ‘gods in dark places’,” I said. Somewhere in the back of my mind a bunch of neurons held a furious discussion about history, galactic politics and religion but hadn’t handed the full report to Theo’s central brain committee.

“Some Protheans survived into this cycle, sir.”

“Sure, if you call being turned into soulless cyborgs by the Re…the Reapers turned the Protheans into Collectors then went back to dark space,” I said.

“Correct.”

“Wait,” I pointed at the door, “does he think he is the next Saren?”

“He could be indoctrinated.”

“We didn’t find ant Reaper tech in the refinery.”

“The planet was occupied by Reapers. He could have been indoctrinated somewhere else.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t explain what the hanar was doing there or why someone hired a drell to take it out with polonium rounds,” I said.

“He might know,” she said.

“Time to ask him,” I said. We went up to the ship’s living quarters. According to Galeena, drell assassins were known for being the deadliest killers in the galaxy. She suggested we treat him as a guest rather than a prisoner. I wasn’t about to leap where Galeena T’iala feared to tread.

Mr. Aten sat at the small table in the middle of the room, chin on steepled hands.

“Good evening, Mr. Aten. I apologize for the delay. We tried to make the room as accommodating as possible?” I asked.

“Yes, it is quite pleasant. The guards area nice touch.”

Great, a killer clown.

“They are part of the decor,” I said.

“Of course. Is there anything I can do for you, colonel?” he asked. He asked in the tone of someone who asks about the weather. Not the sort of thing I expected from a trained killer.

“Maybe. It seems our ‘operations’, for a lack of a better term, are somehow connected.”

“Indeed.”

“Could you care to explain how?”

“I am not at liberty to discuss the particulars of my assignment.”

Wasn’t going to be that easy. Still, he is talking.

“Before the hanar died, and by the way that was a hell of a shot from one point five klicks away,”

“Thank you.”

“Well, he said something about the Enkindlers. We were wondering if there is a religious angle to all of this.”

“Yes,” he said.

“There is, what is it?”

“I am not-”

I cut him off with a raised hand, “Then who is ‘at liberty’ to say?”

“My employers.”

I ran out ideas so I switched to sarcasm, “I don’t suppose I could talk to them instead?

“I can arrange it,” he said nonchalantly.

My jaw dropped, “What?”

He raised his chin, “I believe cooperation will further my employers goals.”

“Which are?” Mr. Aten opened his mouth, “Never mind. When can you arrange this meeting?”

“I need access to the comm buoy system,” he said.

I risked a system hack, but if he could do that, he would have done it already.

“Pasha, Mr. Aten needs a link to the comm buoys,” I said over comm.

“Understood colonel. Firewalls are active. Channel is open,” said Pasha.

I nodded to Mr. Aten. He entered a code on his omni-tool.

“Done,” he said.

Pasha called a few minutes later, “Sir, we have a reply. Patching you through.”

A raspy voice, lighter than Mr. Aten came through the comm, “We are amiable to a meeting at your earliest convience as well as the safe passage of one Mr. Aten.” A series of coordinates appeared on my omni-tool. They were for the hanar colony of First Land.

“Pasha, you got that?”

“Yes sir.”

“Tell the captain to set course for First Land.”

“Roger.


	10. Employers

Hanar Trading Station 314, First Land, Relic System, Eagle Nebula, April 18, 2186

A drell met us on the docking bay.

"Welcome to First Land, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mr. Androchinus. Please, come this way, my employer is waiting for you," he said in a raspy common to the drell although his had a higher pitch than Mr. Aten's.

Mr. Androchinus guided us through the station. The hallways were made of transparent material suspended in a gigantic water tank. Hanar swam about, alone or in small groups or congregated near colorful rock formations. One floated near a wall, lights flickered through its body as it conversed with a drell on the other side.

"Now I know how a fish feels,"I said. Mr. Androchinus glanced over his shoulder. "No offense."

"None taken. "It takes time for land based sentients to get used to living in spaces designed primarily for the hanar. Here we are," he said.

He pointed to an apartment door. It led to a large foyer with two other doors, one to right of the entrance, the other opposite to it. It lacked furniture or decorations except for a large sofa."

“Please wait here. Our employer will be with you in just a moment. Mr. Aten, if you please," he went through door to the right with Mr. Aten in tow.

The moment the drell left I whispered to Pasha, "Utah."

He nodded. Mr. Androchinus returned ten minutes later.

"Right this way," he walked though the second door.

This room was larger and contained several desks with consoles on them. A curtain covered the large window on the back wall. A hanar floated toward us.

"This one asks forgiveness for making its guest wait so long," it said. "This one responds to the name Ariak, and it is an honored representative of the Illuminated Primacy's security services."

"Thank you Ariak. We hope not to intrude upon your hospitality any longer than absolutely necessary," I said adopting the hanar's tone.

Where in First Land....

"Thank you," said Mr. Androchinus, "Please take a seat and let us get down to business. This matter, as you might have guess, is of grave concern to the Illuminated Primacy. We find ourselves in a very difficult situation."

"Which is?" I asked.

"A small yet pernicious cult of heretics have carried out certain actions which have compromised the safety and security of the Primacy," he said.

"Such as?" I asked.

"Some violent acts such a sabotage of key infrastructure nodes, aggressive protests, and defacing of holy sites. We had some difficulty in quelling this heresy. I am glad to say that most of the hanar involved are now in custody waiting rehabilitation.

"That does not explain the connection between the hanar and the batarians."

"This particular heresy posits that the Reapers," the hanar shook from side to side, "are the true power in the universe and should be worshiped as such. We believe that they came about this perversion through contact with batarians. What were once benign cultural and economic exchanges with the them served as ta conduit for poisonous ideas which infected the minds of innocent hanar. They in turn funneled a large amount of credits to the batarians to further this heresy."

"How much?"

Mr. Androchinus looked at Ariak, "The investigation into that matter is still ongoing. However, we are prepared to give you what we discovered about the cult's contacts in Citadel space with one condition."

"Which is?"

"As I said, this matter has put the Primacy in a difficult situation. If word were to spread about this heresy it would harm hanar interest though out the galaxy. Therefore we require your assurances that you will not mentioned where or how you received this information to anyone."

"I don't see a need mention the Primacy's interest in this matter," I said.

"Then we shall provide you with what we have on the subject," Andronichus transferred the files with possible contacts and locations through the Terminus systems plus a handful of names, most of them batarians. "We again apologize for interfering with your operation, colonel. We wish you good luck and good hunting."

"This is far more than we could have hoped for. Again we thank you for your help and hospitality," I said.

"This one hopes the hunt for the heretics is a swift and successful one," said Ariak.

Back on the shuttle Pasha spoke up, "Utah found something very interesting, sir."

"What?"

"It couldn't find soul names to match the accounts but several hanar groups transferred over seven hundred million credits to Had'dah's businesses over the last five years. And it doesn't match anything on Had'dah's personal accounts or his businesses," he said.

"That can buy you a lot, like mercenaries, gunships and more,” he said.

“There is more. News reports that indicate further terrorist attacks on hanar holy sites and infrastructure throughout hanar space. Almost all the data points to hacking of expert VI systems,” said Pasha.

“Expert VI systems?”

“AI, sir.”

“The Council may look the other way when it comes to the Geth, but I doubt they would the same for the hanar,” said Galeena.

“This is bigger than I thought. Galeena, Pasha, run down every single lead, call every contact, I want to know what the hell is going on here. Understood?"

"Yes sir," said Galeena.

The moment we landed on the Daedalus I headed straight fro the QEC.


	11. Memories

Thompson-Ramos Private Residence, Sagan Bay, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, April 23, 2196

The hammock swayed on the gentle night breeze that blew from Sagan's Bay. It was a rare break from work; planning attack/defense scenarios, intelligence gathering, resource allocation. I put down the datapad on the table beside the hammock. The smell of the sea reminded me of distant, simpler times, of family gatherings by the shores of the Caribbean, or walks with Helena along English Bay and of flirting with Miranda on Mr. Taylor's balcony over Lake Katarn.

Miri.

Helena held a special place in my thoughts, a glimpse into a past unsullied by conflict. Miranda represented something else. What that was I still did not know. It explained why we hadn't talked in months. We sent messages, a collection of greetings and updates, each a reminder of the distance between us.

I knew about her past with Cerberus, about Shepard's resurrection, the Collectors and Sanctuary.

She knew about Torfan, Helena, and Earth.

About the order.

Kill'em all....

At that moment I wanted nothing more than to have her here beside me. I wanted her devilish smile. My hand wrapped around her waist, my lips on her neck. I missed the fragrance of her dark locks and that Lawson wicked sense of humor that kept me on my toes. Fragments of far away nights came to mind. Nights locked in each other embrace. Time did not matter then...

...only us.

But the universe didn't work that way. She had a colony to run. I had to find what a bunch of religious zealots were up to and stop them.

We both had our jobs.

We both had our duty.

But was it so bad to dream of a new life?

Right now, I had memories and glimmer of hope for the future. I picked up the datapad and started a new message:

To: Miranda Lawson, MirandaLaw@Horizon.gov

From: Theodore Thompson-Ramos, TTR@BekenstienNet.com

Hi! Sorry I haven't called....


	12. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo makes plans to hit the batarians raiders where the live and bring justice to those they have enslaved and murdered.

Main Conference Room, TRS HQ, Bekenstein, Boltzmann, Serpent Nebula, March 24, 2196

Rodan walked into the conference room with a Turian female. Her facial markings were a fierce neon red that clashed with her cream colored scales and short fringe. She wore the dark uniform of the Turian Fleet.

"Colonel, this is Captain Valena D'arqui, she the Hierarchy's rep," said Rodan. We shook hands. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

"It is an honor to meet you Colonel, Rodan speaks highly of you," she said. The way she said Rodan's name, with a mixture of confidence and familiarity made me even more curious but the others were waiting.

I pointed at chair by the conference table, "Right this way."

Rodan pulled the chair for her then took the one next to hers. She batted her eyes at him but he didn't seem to notice. Whatever the connection between the two would have to wait. I nodded to Galeena.

"Our intel suggests that the terrorist are massing a fleet," the image of a planet appeared over the table,"in geostationary orbit over Korlus. Former batarian members of the Blue Suns landed on the planet eighteen months ago and engaged other ex-Blue Suns troopers, mostly humans and turians, as well as a large number of tank born krogan. According to reports they raid an area for starship parts, hold it until they extract whatever they are looking for, then retreat back to the fleet."

"Nothing but pirate gangs fighting each other for scraps," said Sovik, a salarian diplomat and Council representative.  Major Rentola, from STG, stared at him in disgust.

"Mr. Jatak?" I said

Jatak K'adar, Galeena's contact with the abolitionist, and the man that escaped the slaver ship in a pod back on Arborea, stepped up, "We tracked multiple shipments of weapons, eezo and other materials to the same fleet in the last twelve months. Shipments that fit with the money transfers from Dah'tan Manufacturing in Camala. A large amount of eezo for an unknown purpose."

"Plus, these very same pirates have attacked dozens of colonies in the last decade, raided hundreds of ships and enslaved thousands. And there is this," I played a vid from the Alliance interrogation of Had'dah.

Your time is at an end humans. Soon, the Gods will rise from the Deep and cleanse the galaxy clean of your filth!

"These pirates are led by mad men like this. Men willing to commit mass murder of Alliance and Citadel citizens in broad daylight I may add," I said.

"Well, yes, but, Korlus is in the the Terminus Systems," said Sovik.

"We can always wait until the launch a major raid on a human, turian or even salarian colony. That is if Alliance and Turian forces were not already stretched thin across Citadel space. After who knows how many lives are lost I'm sure we could scrape up a force to hunt them down in their hiding places across the Terminus. Or we can take them down before they mobilize the fleet," I said.

"How many?" asked Captain D'arqui.

"Twenty plus heavy transports converted into war frigates. Heavy barriers, sizable broadside batteries and GARDIAN point defense systems, but no armor or spinal mounts to speak off," said Rodan.

"My cruiser task force is on standby. Just six cruisers, but more than a match for these raiders. But I don't have enough ships to engage the fleet of that size and cover the local relay if they make a run for it," said Captain D'arqui.

"We have four cruisers and two escort carriers available, plus a command ship. The fighters and cruisers can cover the relay for any runners and we can coordinate from the Daedalus," I said.

"Meanwhile," Sovik opened his mouth to interrupt Major Rentola but the Major stared him down, "our teams can raid those base areas and cut off their supplies, plus get more intel on their intentions and capabilities."

"Then we are ready to go. Any more questions?" I asked.

"Yes, just one," quipped Sovik, "What happens after this little operation of yours?"

I cracked a smile. The admiral warned me about this, "Then we go on to support Mr. Jatak's people. The abolitionist have scarified much to hamper the rise of a new Hegemony. I think it is time to give them a chance to built an alternative, don't you think?"

"Yes, of course. A friendly batarian government would go a long way to stabilize the region," said Sovik.

"Yes it would, Mr. Sovik."

"Very well. I leave this in your capable hands, Colonel Thompson-Ramos, Good luck," said Soovik. He left with Major Rentola in tow.

"I have to go and coordinate with the task force. It was good to see you again, Rodan," said Captain D'arqui.

I walked over to him as the door closed behind her, "What was that all about?"

"Oh, that, nothing...just an old friend, well more than a friend. She is my ex," said Rodan.

"Ex as in ex-wife?"

"Yes, sir."

"This won't be a problem, I hope?" I asked.

"Of course not Colonel. She is a professional," he said.

"Good answer. Prep the shuttle, we leave ten," I said.

We exchanged a quick salute, "Yes sir."

Mr. Jatak tapped me in the shoulder," Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"I never had the chance to properly thank you for saving my life back in Arborea. Someone else would have simply turned me over to the local authorities," he said.

"Captain Galeena made a convincing argument on your behalf, Mr. Jatak. Besides, the intel you provided saved a lot lives and may save many more," I said.

"I hope so, Colonel. Perhaps one day humans and batarians might even call each other friends," he said.

I shook his hand, "I say that day is today."


	13. Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thompson-Ramos leads a joint human/turain task force in an attack on the batarian terrorist fleet over Korlus, but a transmission from Major Rentola turns the mission from a search and destroy to a desperate land stand with the lives of billions in the balance.

Command Center, SSV _Daedalus_ , Near Imir's Mass Relay, Eagle Nebula, May 28, 2196

The command center buzzed with activity. Reports filed in from all units.

-Task Force Cork in position-

-ETA of Task Force Scythe to Korlus, two minutes-

-Cruisers _Agamemnon_ , _Achilles_ , _Ajax_ and _Herakles_ standing by-

- _Pegasus_ and _Prometheus_ fighter wings ready for launch-

I hated the feeling of detachment that came with being part of events but not in them. I had no finger on a trigger, no button to push, no enemy fire to dodge, only orders to give. The zone did not materialize. No calm took over me. The filter turned into a wall. Others would fight this battle in my stead.

-Task Force Scythe is one minute from target area-

The systems monitored the enemy's comm traffic. It was the only way to track their movements at this distance. The estimate of enemy numbers held at just over twenty armed merchantmen. Task Force Scythe, composed of two elements of three turian cruisers each, would jump on the flanks of the enemy fleet. Caught in a classic pincer the enemy would either scatter or be destroyed.

That was the plan.

-Task Force Scythe on target. Engaging-

On holo six turian cruisers appeared on each side of the enemy fleet. But the enemy did not scatter. Instead the ships on the flanks concentrated their fire on a cruiser from each element, while the bulk of the force jumped clear.

-Revising target estimate. Total numbers now at forty-five ships-

-Analyzing jump vector. Jump vector confirmed. Enemy enemy force en route to the mass relay. ETA five minutes-

"How many?" I asked.

"Twenty five, sir," said Galeena

The batarians had hidden their numbers by the simple expedient of emission control. The bulk of the fleet orbited Korlus with thrusters cold and no active radio signals. _Their emissions disciplined robbed passive sensors of crucial data._

_Clever bastards!_

"Tell _Pegasus_ and _Prometheus_ to launch fighters," I said.

"Aye Sir," said Pasha.

-Incoming transmission from Major Rentola over the QEC-

"Patch him through," I said.

Rentola's voice came through the intercom, "Colonel, we discovered what the batarians were up. Transmitting data to you now."

An image of a huge laboratory appeared on holo. Hundreds of stasis tubes lined the walls, all filled with human bodies. More images appeared: a double helix and and a sphere covered in spikes.

"This is a new form of a batarian biological weapon used on a assassination attempt on the Council in 2183. This one," the graphic changed to show the interior of a vein, "attacks human red blood cells, blocking their ability to carry oxygen and nutrients. As they cell die, the clomp together, blocking circulation and causing massive internal hemorrhaging . The spores have a tough outer shell resistant to radiation and temperature extremes. It only peals away when in contact with key enzymes in the blood stream. According to the files we retrieved, it can lay dormant on most surfaces for well over a century."

I gripped the edge of the projector until my knuckles turned white, "Is that what they shipped to Korlus?"

"Yes, inside modified disruptor torpedoes," said Rentola.

-Enemy ETA to mass relay three minutes-

"I need numbers Major," I said.

"Each warhead carries enough material to blanket over one hundred square kilometers. We estimate that they produced and shipped several thousands torpedoes, enough to render entire colonies uninhabitable," said Rentola.

-Task Force Scythe still engaged-

I took a deep breath, "Lethality?"

"Estimated ninety-seven percent lethality for age groups under five years old or over eighty within seventy-two hours from exposure. All other age groups are rated at seventy-seven percent lethality with death occurring within a week of exposure," he said.

"Anything else?"

"We alerted the Council of the current situation and they are mobilizing the fleets," said Rentola.

But we both knew that there was simply too many targets to defend. It was the reason why my team spent the last decade training planetary militias and fortifying colonies all over the Traverse and the Terminus. But none of our plans covered a massive biological attack. A successful attack would kill hundreds of thousands if not millions of colonist and cut off Earth's food supply. An Earth that hovered on the brink from the Reaper invasion ten years ago.

"Thank you Major," I said.

"Good luck," he replied.

All eyes were on me.

"Pass the data to the rest of the task force," I said.

No need for fancy speeches, the facts spoke for themselves. The cruisers formed a box around the enemy's approach vector. Their crews maneuvered so as to engage the enemy with their ship's spinal mounts and broadsides where ever possible. I ordered the fighters to concentrate on the enemy ship's main thrusters.

"Considered done, sir," said Rodan over the comm.

-Two turian cruisers disengaging-

The enemy jumped in. Long range fire from the cruisers tore four, then eight merchantmen to pieces. The fleet charged toward the relay, heedless of losses. Fighters came from all directions. They fired volley after volley of torpedoes. GARDIAN lasers ripped the squadrons apart.

-Twelve targets destroyed. Four disabled-

The enemy returned fire on _Ajax_ and _Achilles_. The sheer number of broadsides overwhelmed their kinetic barriers.

-Achilles reports an imminent eezo core meltdown-

The cruiser blinked out of existence. _Ajax_ 's captain ordered her crews to the life pods. Within seconds it joined her sister ship in a fiery oblivion.

- _Agamemnon_ 's main battery and thrusters are off line. Switching to broadsides and maneuvering thrusters-

_Herakles_ , _Agamemnon_ and the fighters stopped three more enemy ships but six still remained.

"Launch all shuttles and gunships. Have them target the enemy main thrusters. The carriers will close to weapons range," I said.

Galeena nodded. Orders were given to close to with the enemy. The point defense system were designed to stop fighters or missiles not go toe to toe with warships. Only three carriers stood between the enemy and the mass relay.

-Enemy within weapons range-

The ship shuddered under enemy fire.

-GARDIAN systems overheating-

- _Prometheus_ and _Pegasus_ lost kinetic barriers. Reporting multiple hull breaches-

At that moment the zone returned. My mind processed all the relevant data: damage reports, loss updates, range to targets and time estimates. I knew the score. I accept my fate.

_Miranda...may you live a long and happy life._

Two new objects appeared on holo.

"Sorry for the delay, Colonel. We were a bit tied up back there," said Captain D'arqui over the comm.

The combined fire of turians and our ships obliterated the batarians. I shook from head to toe. I sat down, drenched in sweat. Galeena put a hand on my shoulders.

"Casualties?" I asked.

"Three cruisers lost, two of ours, one turian. Nineteen fighters lost along with three gunships and two shuttles. Recovering lifepods now," said Pasha from his station.

"Understood.”


	14. Accounting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle of the Imri relay led to a Council investigation into Thompson-Ramos security and forced the Alliance to disband the company. Now Theo is back with the Alliance and facing and uncertain future.

_ANN News Desk_

From Alliance News Desk on the Citadel

September 3, 2196

**Alliance Dissolves TRS  
**

by Amita Quita

 **PRESIDIUM, CITADEL-** The Alliance Parliament dissolved Thompson-Ramos Security Services after Council investigation revealed it was a front company for Alliance Military extra-territorial operations. According to the Council's findings, the security firm served as a front for covert Alliance operations beyond Citadel space. These operations included raids on suspected terrorist strongholds, building a fleet of warships, arming and training of colonial militias in the Terminus Systems. All of these operations culminated in a major, and illegal, engagement in the Imri system. **  
**

Sources within the Alliance Parliament admit that the corporation bypassed or ignored multiple Citadel laws, but argued that TRS strengthen Alliance presence along the Terminus at a time of acute force depletion, stopped several slave raids on human colonies, and stabilized the region. This at a time when each of the Council races faced massive socioeconomic hurdles within their own territories.

Within minutes of the announcement extranet traffic from the Attican Traverse quadrupled. Most messages in colonial forums expressed support for the company and its former CEO, Theodore Thompson-Ramos. Several instant polls averaged a 71% approval rating in favor of the company and its efforts, while 82% retained a favorable view of its CEO, Theodore Thompson-Ramos. Thompson-Ramos resigned his position as part of the process of dissolving the corporation and returned to Acturus Station to give a report to the Alliance Parliamentary Intelligence Sub-committee. Sources close to the Council indicate that the councilors consider the matter closed.


	15. Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo visits family on Earth while on leave of absence from the Alliance but an unexpected visitor forces him to reconcile his past with his future.

Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Caribbean League, Earth, Sol System, Local Group, September 5, 2196

The moment the front door swung open a little blue ball of asari happiness raced down the hallway, "Tio, bendición!"

I kissed my little cousin Naera on the cheek, "Dios te bendiga, chiquita. Where is your dad?"

She pulled on my duffel bag, "He is getting some pizza for dinner." A blue aura enveloped the bag. The bag sailed over her shoulder and into the living room with a loud boom. Her cheeks turned a deep violet, "Sorry!"

We peeked into the living room. Nothing was out of place, except for a black cat that stared down at the duffel bag with an arched back from a top the bookcase.

"Misha, get down from there," said Naera, but Misha hissed at Naera and stayed put, yellow eyes watchful for any more unidentified biotic objects.

The door bell rang.

Naera ran past me, "I'll get it!" She spoke on the intercom then turned around, "Tio, I think its for you."

I opened the door and there stood one Miranda Lawson in a one piece black bikini wrapped in a yellow saree and sandals, "May I come in?" she asked with a radiant smile.

I was paralyzed with shock, "What are doing here, Miri?" I blurted out.

"If you have ask?" she replied.

Naera squeaked, "Is she your girlfriend, tio?"

Mirianda put a hand on her hip, "Am I?"

The playful tone of her voice, the way she always challenged me, woke me from stupor, "Well, if you gotta ask?" I said.

She turned to Naera, "And what is you name?"

"Naera. Naera Alvieri," she said with a twinkle in her teal eyes. She turned her cheek up to Miranda.

I tapped mine and mouthed that Naera wanted a kiss. Miranda obliged with a gentle peck.

"Chiqui, call your dad and tell him we are going to need another pizza, extra large with cheese and lots of veggies. And after that go wash up, okay?" I said.

"Do I have to Tio?" asked Naera with puppy dog eyes.

"Yes," I said while I took Miranda's carry on.

Naera bolted upstairs.

"As much as I'm happy to see you, and I am, my question still stands," I said.

Miranda rounded on me, "I'm here, because someone promised my sister that they would tell me about a little incident they had on Milgrom. Not to mention I had hear about your company folding from the extranet."

I washed my hands on the kitchen sink, "I meant to tell you, but," a long list of excuses ran though my mind, but I knew none would stand up to Miranda analytical stare. The truth would have to do, "I didn't want to worry you, Miri."

"Oh, so the absolute lack of information about your whereabouts or well being was supposed to put my mind at ease?" she asked. Her jaw clenched with anger.

"As always you are absolutely right, Miranda. But all that is over now. I'm on a leave of absence until the Alliance figures out what to do with me," I said.

"You'll be fine. You did nothing, except keep me in the dark," she said

"Most of it was need to know anyway. You know how it goes. Besides, I did tell you I was alright," I said.

"Weeks after you were out of the hospital, Theo. You want to know why am I here, Theo? I'm here because I want straight answers, and I'm going to get them."

"About what?"

"About us?"

The sound of the front door opening cut me off. My cousin Ricky carried three large pizzas. Introductions were made, slices were eaten, and much Tupari was drunk. In between bites Naera regaled us with stories of school friends. She was in the middle of telling a particular hilarious take on her Romance Language teacher when her father interrupted her.

"It's eight clock and you, young lady, have school tomorrow," he said with the stern voice.

"But Papi!," she wailed.

"Go, now," said Ricky. Naera said goodnight with quick succession of kisses and ran upstairs."I'll make sure she not playing games on her omni-tool. Good night folks," he said.

"Care for something a bit stronger than Tupari, Ms. Lawson?" I asked.

"Sure."

I searched in the cabinet under the sink, "We have rum and rum and some more rum, oh and some soda too." I mixed a pair of Cuba Libres and we headed out to the balcony, Misha the cat in tow. The bay glowed with bioluminescent algae. Most of the old town lay underwater, victim of the twenty first century climate change. Miranda leaned on the balcony rail. My gaze traveled up the curves of her body. "Do you know what happened in Imri?"

"I heard rumors about batarian extremist," she said.

"The rumors were true. The same bastards that tried to kill me, that killed some good people in Milgrom," the police identified Pratchett Peters remains from DNA found on the blood splatter on the walls, "tried to kill millions with some kind of blood plague," I said.

She turned around, paler than usual,"Blood plague?"

"You know about it?"

"Yeah, Jacob and I stopped an batarian assassination attempt on the Council using the same weapon. Back when I was with Cerberus," she said.

"Well, the perfected a way to deliver it in large quantities. Enough to wipe out entire colonies. We stopped them at the mass relay, but it costs us two cruisers and hundreds of lives. And a reward, the Council disbanded TRS."

"It couldn't last forever Theo," she said.

"Of course not, but my people deserve better.It's not like the Council didn't know about it. Their just covering their asses. Goddamned politicians,  
I drained my glass, "But that's not why you came here for, is it?"

"No."

"I've been thinking about us, Miri. Really thinking about us," I said. Memories of Helena came to mind.

_My love Helena waving goodbye,_  
 _Happy face, sad smile,_  
 _Earth drowns in tears of joy and cries of pain,_

_Always the same…_

"Well I don't want to live in the past anymore. I'm trying to figure out how to make this work. I'm an Alliance Marine. It's who I am. But it's not all I am. Not anymore. I want," I tugged at her hand, "I want to be worthy of you."

She pulled in close. When she spoke sweet scent of her hair took my breath away, "It will take more than words to do that, Mr. Thompson-Ramos." There it was again, the challenge, the test. Miranda was the kind of woman that demanded the best from you. You either put up or shut up. My hands slid around the small of her back. Our lips brushed together. In that second there was nothing but us, no thoughts, no nightmares, no worries, only us.

Come what may, there was us.

_The Beam sweeps forward,_  
 _The Infernal gears grind,_  
 _The City cries out,_  
 _The Fire engulfs us all,_

_It is always, always, always the same…._


	16. Kursk

Alliance HQ, Vancouver, British Columbia, North American Union, Earth, Sol System, Local Group, October 1, 2196

"No word yet," said Miranda through the vid link.

"Nope. I'm still sitting here... waiting," I said.

"My offer stands, Theo."

"I appreciate it. And who knows, I may take you up on it. Truth be told I wish you were here with me."

"Need me to hold your hand?" she said with that devilish Lawson grin.

"Nah, I just got used to having my girlfriend around."

"Girlfriend? I could get use to the sound of that."

"You _could_?"

"Sure."

"The last month ranks as one the top two vacations I have ever had?"

"Top three?"

"Sure, right there with my first trip to Disney World."

"You are comparing our time together with a trip to an amusement park?" she said. By the tone of her voice I had better drop the shovel before I dug myself any deeper.

Too bad I was born a rebel, "Sure! I mean, one hand you have my first visit, as a seven year old to the happiest place on Earth," her scowl looked like it would break the datapad screen, "and in the other I have the experience of spending an entire month with the most stunning woman in the galaxy. I'm not saying they are exactly the same, but each is memorable, in their own way... you know, good times."

"You arse!"she said with a laugh.

A young officer came up to me, "Lieutenant Commander, the committee is ready for you."

"Thank you lieutenant. Well that's my cue Miri."

"Good luck," she said and her face faded from the screen. I tucked the datapad under my arm.

"Right this way, sir."

The committee waited behind a large desk raised on a dais. The committee chairwoman, Admiral DeVynter, sat in the middle chair. She looked straight down at me.

"It is the finding of the committee that Lieutenant Commander Theodore Thompson-Ramos fulfilled his mission parameters to his best of his abilities and of those under his command. We find no fault in his action in or outside Citadel space nor did he exceed the lawful orders given to him. In view of two decades of faithful service to the Systems Alliance we here by restore Theodore Thompson-Ramos to the rank of Commander, Alliance Navy, with the designation of N7, with all the rights, privileges and," her eyebrow peaked,"responsibilities that come with the rank. Commander, do you accept the findings of this committee?"

I stood there, stunned. This was nowhere near what I expected. Yet there it was.

"Yes, ma'am, I accept the findings of the committee," I said.

She slammed a gavel down, "Then this meeting is adjourn."

The same lieutenant handed me a datapad, "Your new posting, sir."

I looked at it and said, "You got to be kidding me?"

"No, sir. The shuttle is waiting on the roof pad. Good luck, sir," said the lieutenant.

"And my bags?" I asked.

"They are already on their way up, Commander," said the lieutenant.

The Alliance wanted me on my way, ASAP, which let me to believe this was nothing more than a swift kick upstairs. My bags were by the door of the shuttle.

The pilot gave me a crisp salute, "Ready when you are, sir."

I nodded, "Let's go."

On the way I re-read several messages from the old command group at T-R Security. Pasha returned to Rannoch to visit family and be part of the upcoming celebration of the end of the Reaper Invasion. Rodan got a change to talk to his ex after the battle of Imir. I read between the lines, and it seemed to me that they were patching things up. And Galeena took a position with the Batarian Assembly as a "Strategic Adviser."

The pilot voice came over the intercom, "We about to dock, sir." A small holo window appeared on the door. The pilot maneuvered close to ship, the SSV Kursk, a brand new SR-3 class frigate. Her curved hull looked like it could out fly any ship, anywhere, at any time. Sunlight glinted off classic Alliance white and blue paint job. And it was my job to get her through shakedown and hand her over to her first of many captains. The pilot guided the understated finesse into the cargo hold. It took a minute for the life support system to refill the area with breathable atmosphere. The ship's company, led by Navigator Randall Johnson,stood in attention while I debarked.

The ship's VI chimed the moment my shoe touch the deck, "The commanding officer is aboard. Navigator Johnson is relieved."

"Permission to come aboard, Navigator Johnson," I said

"Permission granted, sir," said the ships navigator with a sharp salute. He sported a blonde paintbrush mustache that would not out of place in a mid-twentieth century war movie and matched the golden hairline under under uniform cap.

I returned it, "At ease. Status?"

"We have our orders and we are ready to depart on your command, sir," he handed me a datapad. It had the ships destination.

"Let's go to the CIC," I said.

Johnson pointed at the elevator door, "Right this way, sir." Crew members saluted as we walked into the CIC. A large galactic map floated in the center of the room. "You can select the destination here, sir."

"I prefer to command from the front," I said.

He nodded and led the way to the bridge. There a young flight lieutenant stood in attention. She was a head shorter than I and wore her dark hair in a ponytail that poked out of the back of her cap.

She smiled an impish grin, "Helmsman Andrea Auld, reporting for duty, sir." Johnson growled something that resembled the word ace under his mustache. Her smile grew wider.

"At ease, flight lieutenant," I said.

She hopped into her seat, "Were to, sir."

"The Citadel," I said.

"Aye, aye, sir. Course laid in for the Charon Relay, ETA fifteen minutes," she said.

"Take us out


	17. Transit

Docking Bay A-12, The Presidium, The Citadel, Widow, Serpent Nebula, October 2, 2196

<DECONTAMINATION COMPLETE>, chimed the ship's VI.

The crew of the _SSV Kursk_ waited in attention to welcome the ViP. The airlock opened and in stepped in a little asari.

"Permission to come aboard, sir," she squeaked standing in parade ground attention or as close as a little girl can manage without giggling.

I played along, "Permission granted, Miss?"

Her eyes shone with pride, "Hannah Miranda Shepard T'Soni, sir!"

"Welcome aboard Miss Shepard," I said.

She glanced left and bolted for the bridge, "Are you the helmsman?" she asked Ace but before she could answer, Ms. Shepard rattled on, "Is the ship your girlfriend? Is this ship like _Normandy_? Because Uncle Joker and Aunt EDI are boyfriend and girlfriend and that means that he is dating the ship and a robot. I don't see a robot, is the ship's robot of duty? I like your ponytail, it's pretty. I'm asari, so I don't have hair but yours is kind of like Aunty Miranda's, black and shiny but she doesn't do ponytails, at least I never seen her with one and...."

"Hannah?" came a voice from the airlock.

She walked back to her father's side, her freckled cheeks blushed a deep purple, "But Daaad!"

"Permission to come aboard, Commander," said Admiral Shepard one arm around his daughter's shoulder.

"Permission granted Admiral," I said.

"At ease Commander," he shook hands with me and the rest of the _Kursk_ command crew. "You already met my daughter, Hannah and this is my aide, Lieutenant Commander James Vega."

A burly marine in full N7 armor walked in, "So, you're the jefe around here."

Fellow N7 or not I didn't care for his attitude, "Soy el jefe y capitán de navió, Señor Vega."

"Understood, sir," said Vega with a shit eating grin.

"Active watch, back to your stations. Navigator Johnson stand by for departure. Ensign Francis, take the Admiral's baggage to the captain's quarters," I ordered.

"Aye, aye sir," said Randall while the ensign hurried of with the Admiral's luggage.

"Right this way, Admiral," I pointed to the CIC. We came up to the galactic map, "If you would do honors, sir?"

The Admiral hesitated. He looked around the CIC, the down to his daughter and climbed up the step to the map. He selected the Tikkun system, in the Perseus Veil.

Navigator Johnson voice come over the intercom, "Course set in, sir. ETA to Rannoch, nineteen hours and seventeen minutes."

"Helmsman, takes us out dock and set a course for the mass relay," I said.

"Aye, aye, sir," said Ace over the intercom.

We proceeded to tour the ship, from the new command center to the galley. Hannah and Vega commented on the similarities with the _Normandy_. After awhile Vega excuse himself and left for the crew's quarters. The tour ended on the Port Observation Deck.

I went straight for the bar, "Would you like a drink, sir?"

The Admiral stood in front of the window. He stared at the distant stars, "Sure."

I poured two drinks, "Sir, the last time I checked, Admiral's aides didn't wear full combat armor."

"Vega is more of a bodyguard, commander," said the Admiral, hands clasped behind his back.

"You need a bodyguard, sir?"

He glanced at Hannah, who sat the couch playing a game on her omni-tool, "Yes."

"I see," I handed him a glass. The scotch was less than smooth going down.

_Wet navy, cheap scotch._

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" I asked.

"I keep an open door policy, commander," said the Admiral.

"Okay...sir, why did I get punted to this ship warming cruise?" I asked. It came out far more bitter than I intended but there it was.

"Politics, commander," he said.

"Right, but I didn't do anything wrong? The Alliance investigation cleared me of any suspicion. Why is it that T-R Security got disbanded for doing exactly what is was meant to do?"

"What is the one thing that has so far not come up in any news report about the Battle of Korulus?"

Alliance and Citadel sources kept the exact details of the battle from the public, most of the reporting concentrated on T-R Security involvement. Not even a hint of the most important part of the battle, the one reason I sent hundreds of men and women to their deaths in a desperate attempt to stop a new genocide. _  
_

"The blood plague," I said.

"Exactly. Imagine what would happen if news of the plague came out. The backlash would destroy any support for the Batarian Assembly. We worked too hard, for too long to create such a group, a group friendly to the Citadel and willing to work with us in stabilizing the Terminus systems," said the Admiral.

It made sense. A group as the Assembly did not sprang up overnight. The outrage from the Alliance public would force the Parliament to withdraw all support for the Assembly and without the support the whole thing would collapse.

"Then why dissolve the company, sir. We have been training militias for the last decade and we already had contacts with the abolitionist," I said.

"Torfan," he replied in an cold, even tone.

_Fuck!_

"That's not...that is irrelevant, sir."

"I wasn't there but-"

The words slipped through my lips before my brain could stop them, "Damn right you weren't."

He turned to me, "Excuse me?"

"I apologize, sir. It's...a sensitive subject."

"Among humans and batarians alike, commander. You are a public figure. The former CEO of one of the most important private military contractor in the Terminus Systems. Most of your record with Alliance is public. They are those in the Assembly who would nothing more to take over or form their own groups. Trofan would be all the excuse they needed to do it." He downed his drink, "Earth still needs the resources from the Traverse to survive. That means secure secure supply lines through the establishment of stable governments in the Terminus systems. Your mission was a part of the puzzle that included the batarians, quarians and the geth. It all comes down to politics, commander," he said.

It all made sense. The Quarians had the largest merchant fleet in the galaxy that kept millions of Turians supplied with food. Humanity needed the resources from the outer colonies and a friendly batarian government would stamp down on the attacks along Traverse.

"Commander, the truth is that the Reapers are still out there. They may strike tomorrow or sometime in the next century. And when they do, they won't come to harvest us, they will come to annihilate us." Hannah had fallen asleep on the couch. The Admiral sat beside her. He stroke her cheek with back of his hand. __

"One more question, sir," I looked at the girl, "Miranda?"

"She is a close friend of the family and she did mention you once or twice. I would not be here without. She brought me back with Illusive Man's resource, but she did what no one else thought possible. If my daughter is one tenth of the woman my mother, Liara, or Miranda are, she will be a guiding light of our civilizations for the next thousand years. Even if she isn't, she deserves a chance to grow up and find her our destiny." Shepard looked me straight the eye, "I won't long enough to see it, but that is my mission now. Do you understand commander?"

"Yes, sir," I said.

He scooped his daughter up, "Time for some shut eye. Call me when we reach Rannoch."

"Yes, sir."


	18. BFG

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ordinary diplomatic function on Rannoch goes wrong when all communications channels go down.

Aboard the _SSV Kursk_ SR-3, In orbit around Rannoch, Tikkun System, Perseus Veil, October 4, 2196

I stood watch on the bridge a step behind the helmsman's chair. Councilor Sparatus speech to the Conclave played in the background. Ace kept one eye the ship's status and another on the speech.

"They say that space is very big, but it feels awfully crowded round here, sir," she said.

"Thirty-seven thousand ships in orbit will do that, flight lieutenant," I said.

She pushed back a loose strand of brown hair under her SR-3 cap, "Sure, but you would think that with so many ships they wouldn't need that to protect them," she brought up an image of the nearest quarian defense station on screen.

"You would if you spent the last three hundred years roaming the galaxy in dilapidated ships," I said.

"Yet in recent years we have found common ground among our species...."

"But those monsters are almost four kilometers long," she said.

"Yes all six of them and each equipped with twin Thanix cannon's each two and a half klicks long. The largest gun batteries anywhere in the galaxy," I said.

"Bugger all! Even the Reapers would think twice having a go at this place," Ace said.

I chuckled at Ace's exquisite vocabulary, "I think that's the-" the screen with the Councilor's speech on it froze then went blank.

"Hold on a minute commander..." Ace pressed a few buttons, "Nothing, the feed is down."

Ensign Carmichael shouted from his station behind us, "All comlinks are down sir, and I'm getting nothing from the comm buoys."

"What about the Merchant fleet or the _Vanguard_?" I asked. I hoped the Councilor's diplomatic cruiser's sensors might have picked up something we missed or had intel from the Council we could use.

"All communications are down across the system. Not even voice or text, sir," replied Carmichael.

"Set up a tight beam link to the _Vanguard_ ," I said.

Johnson called through the ship's intercom, "Message from Admiral Shepard on the primary QEC."

"On my way," I said. _Kursk_ had an array of Quantum Entanglement Communicators that put her in constant contact with key facilities across Alliance space. Impossible to track, intercept or jam but they had limited bandwith and only worked point-to-point thus useless at the tactical level.

The admiral appeared on the QEC, "Status?"

"All commlinks are down across the system. How are things on your end, sir?" I asked.

He sighed, "The same. But that's not half of it. The geth are...down."

"Down, sir?"

"The geth are not responding. All their platforms are inactive," he said.

"That can't be good," I said.

"Agreed. I'm on my way up to the _Kursk_ to coordinate a response. Shepard out."

"Sir, we have a tight beam transmission from approaching civilian shuttle, audio only, putting it through," said Johnson.

Pasha's reedy voice came through my earpiece, "Permission to come aboard, colonel."

"It's commander now, kid, but what the hell are you doing up here?" I asked.

"Oh I forgot, of course commander. It's about the geth, sir. They are under attack." said Pasha.

_When it rains it pours._

"From whom?" I asked.

"We don't know but Utah thinks he can track the source using the _Kursk_ 's cyberwarfare suite," he said

"Then you two better hurry," I said.

Minutes later Pasha entered the War Room escorted by sergeant Hyun-joon. I saw the worry in his eyes even through the opaque face plate.

"Okay kid, show us what you got," I said.

Pasha punched a code on his omni-tool.

A robotic voice came over the intercom,"Isolating key systems. Updating primary and secondary firewalls. Integrating sensor feeds."

"Is that...is that a geth, sir?" sputtered Johnson.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson and its name is Utah," I said with the icy voice I reserved for raw recruits that gave me lip. Johnson stood ramrod straight and in absolute silence.

Utah was still doing it's thing when the Admiral arrived on board. He brought with him James Vega, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Garrus Vakarian and colonel Kal'Reegar, Merchant Fleet Marines.

"Admiral, according to Pasha the geth are under attack from an unknown source. Utah is tracking it down, sir," I said.

"But hacking the geth only works for a short time. Why would they all shut down?" asked Tali'Zorah.

Utah image came up on the main holo-display, "Because, Creator Zorah, this attack was aim at our Consensus. The viral code attempted to re-write our base programing and neutralize our higher cognitive functions, rendering all geth aware but unable to control their respective platforms. Since all current geth platforms are combat capable we decided that the best course of action was to disable all platforms and isolate ourselves behind defensive firewalls to prevent harm to Creators as well as geth."

"Source?" I asked

"Unknown, Commander Thompson-Ramos, but before instituting isolation protocols the geth detected Reaper code similar to the one Admiral Shepard encountered on the defunct Old Machine," said Utah.

"Keelah!" said Tali'Zorah.

Vakarian's mandibles twitched, "Not again."

"You seen this before, Scars?" asked Vega.

"Yeah, back when we were hunting the Collectors we ran into Legion aboard a dead Reaper. The Heretics, the geth that attacked the Citadel with Sovereign, had a Reaper virus designed to re-write all the geth to worship the Reapers," said Vakarian.

"Correct, Garrus Vakarian. Source of viral attack detected," said Utah. The holo morphed into a quarian battle station. "The station main battery has yield in excess of one hundred kilotons. Enough to destroy any ship or settlement within range."

"Hostia!" I said.

"Get President Zaal'Koris on the horn," said the admiral. It took less than a minute to bring him up speed.

Zaal'Koris sighed, "I'm in contact with the Merchant fleet. They are ready to engage the station."

"Creator Zaal'Koris the estimated crew of the station stands at three hundred Creators and over eleven hundred geth intelligences," said Utah.

Zaal'Koris shook his head, "I am sorry, but as much as loath to sacrifice lives, be they organic or synthetic, I don't have choice. The lives of millions hangs in the balance."

If the quarians targeted the station, who ever was running the show was going to react. The Merchant Fleet had numbers and fire power but not much in the way of armor or barriers. Besides, there was not guarantee that they would stop the station from firing at Rannoch.

_Someone seems to using an old playbook. Time to use it a few old plays of our own._

"Utah, where do I need to go to disable the station?" I asked

Utah highlighted two areas on the station, one labeled, "Battery control", the other, "Main server room."

"Perfect. Now, if you don't mind me stealing a page from your book, admiral, I suggest we use the _Kursk_ 's stealth systems to close in with the station, have two strike teams board it and hit those targets before geth get hacked or the guns fire," I said.

"Sounds like plan, who do you have in mind?" the admiral asked.

"I'll take Pasha and Utah with me. Sergeant Hyun-joon and the rest of the marines can go after the guns," I said.

"Not a chance. My people will go in and take care of this, just get us in there," said Kal'Reegar.

"You're not leaving us behind," said Tali'Zorah. Vakarian put a hand on his wife shoulder and nodded.

"If we send too many people in, we are bound to attract unwanted attention," I said.

"Let's split the difference. Commander, you're in charge of the server room. Take Vega with you. Garrus, go after the guns. Reegar, your people can back them up and secure any survivors," said the admiral.

"Agreed," said Zaal'Koris.

As we walked out of the War Room James asked, "So, what happens if we don't make it in time?"

"Then Mr. Vega, we die."


	19. Preservers

Battlestation 1, In orbit over Rannoch, Tikkun, Perseus Veil, October 3, 2196

The assault team entered through a secondary airlock. Utah came last, "wearing" his own geth platform. Colonel Reegar sent lieutenant Veetak with us. The rest of the quarian marines went with Tali'Zorah and Garrus Vakarian. I cloaked and took point. Track lights along the corners of the floors and ceilings illuminated the interior of the station in a faint blue glow. As I rounded the corner a single frozen drop of blood past my visor. Bullet holes marred the walls. The trail of droplets led me to six quarians corpses that hung in space at odd angles. At the end of the corridor two geth platforms floated in a cloud of ceramic and plastic.

"I got bodies here," I said over the radio.

"We found the same thing here," replied Reegar.

Vega glanced at Utah, "I thought the geth were on our side."

Pasha carefully weaved around the bodies. He scanned the geth with his omni-tool, "These are not geth," he said.

"They sure look like geth to me," said Vega.

"They are geth platforms loaded with advanced combat VIs. If they had been geth they memory cores would be wiped," said Pasha.

"Then where are they?" I asked.

"Unknown," said Utah.

"Right. Everybody move," I said.

We dodged several patrols along the way. Near the server room a side door opened and a male quarian appeared. He spotted Vega and pressed a button on his omni-tool. Vega tackled him against the nearest bulkhead. The track lights flashed red. Lieutenant Veetak slapped a pair of handcuffs on the quarian.

"One of Xen's terrorist," said Veetak.

"Isn't that the crazy admiral that wanted to dissect Legion?" asked Vega.

"Yes, anti-synthetic fanatics who want to quote 'liberate the quarians from the geth' or so they claim," said Veetak.

"Well, they know we are here now," I said.

We double timed it to the server room. Pasha hacked the door while the rest took positions on either side. The doors opened and revealed a large room filled with server nodes in neat rows. The rectangular nodes with their blinking lights resembled a night diorama of a modern city. A dozen geth units turned toward us. In the center stood a dais, with several control panels. On it a female quarian glanced at us, arms across her chest.

"So the cowardly Zaal'Koris calls on the Alliance to save his precious geth?" said the quarian.

"Daro'Xen vas Moreh, you are under arrest by the authority of the Conclave. Lay down your weapons and step away from the console," said lieutenant Veetak.

"Oh really, well it seems we are going to do this the hard way then," said Xen. She pressed a button on one of the consoles. Veetak responded by firing a burst at her head. The space around the dais shimmered. The geth units opened fire. We dove for cover amongst the knee high server nodes. Pasha, Utah and I hacked three of them which turned on the others. A pair of double doors opened on the far side of the room. A squad of geth units came in firing as they entered the room. I slid into the familiar embrace of the Zone. My mind cataloged the threats: an endless supply of hostile geth units, two entrances to the server, a kinetic barrier invulnerable to small arms fire and a terrorist with her finger on one hundred kilotons of city busting destruction.

"Vega, Veetak, suppressive fire on the entrance on the far side. Pasha, drop a rocket drone on the incoming geth and hack as many enemies as you can. Utah, seal the doors behind us. I'll cover you," I said.

"Got it," said Vega.

"On it, commander," said Veetak.

"Drone deployed," said Pasha.

"Acknowledged," said Utah.

I radioed the second team, "Colonel Reegar, what's your status?"

"We are in the battery control room but under heavy fire by geth units. Tali'Zorah is trying to unlock the controls," said Reegar.

Tali'Zorah came over the radio, "The station is changing firing position. It's targeting the Conclave."

A single shot from the twin Thanix cannons would obliterate the heart of the city, killing hundreds of thousands.

I switched frequencies, "SSV _Kursk_ , this is commander Thompson-Ramos, do you copy?"

"We copy, commander," said navigator Johnson.

"Have the Merchant Fleet stand by to open fire on the station on my command," I said.

There was a short pause then Johnson spoke up, "Understood commander."

Traces crisscrossed the room. The barrier bubble did not flashed as a single unit when struck from all sides. Instead, three distinct areas lit up. That meant that each side had it's own projector anchored at the base of the dais. I cloaked and ran toward the dais. Once I reached the base I ripped a panel and scanned the interior with my omni-tool. A series of schematics popped up on my visor screen.

_No time to shut it down but if I shunt power to the other projectors I may be able to overload this side with my omni-blade._

The nearest projector flickered. I stabbed the barrier and it vanished in a burst of sparks. Startled, Xen drew her side arm. I vaulted over the control panels and kicked her in the stomach. She slammed against the kinetic barrier and bounced around the bubble. I grabbed her by the arm and pinned her, face down, against the floor.

"Pasha, Utah, front and center!" I said.

Both jumped through the gap in the barrier and set to work on the control panels.

"Hacking control overrides."

"Viral infection detected."

"Overriding cannon controls."

"Deactivating combat VIs."

"Sanitizing server nodes."

"Viral attack code quarantined."

I imitated Utah neutral tone, "Quarian terrorist threat neutralized."

Hours later, after a company of quarian marines secured the station. We joined Admiral Shepard planet side. The Conclave was packed to capacity with quarian politicians and spectators.

The Minister of Justice took the floor to pass sentence on Xen and her followers, "You are accused of terrorism, murder, crimes against synthetics, attempted slavery, attempted mass murder, attempted genocide and treason against the quarian people. How do you plead?"

"I don't recognize the authority of this court," said Xen. She kept her full suit on even on Rannoch's surface.

The corner of Raan's lip curled upward, "Is that so?" She turned to the nearest geth representative who tower over all of us in a crimson geth prime unit, "Since the bulk of these crimes were directed at the geth, it is only appropriate that we turn the accused over to them."

The geth responded in a deep robotic voice, "We have no need for correction facilities but we would like to study Creator Xen to understand her continued hostility toward the geth. Such studies would include dissection of key areas such as the brain in order to find the source of her aberrant behavior."

"You...you can't do this! This...this is outrageous!" cried Xen.

"I take it then that you accept the jurisdiction of the Conclave?" asked Raan.

"Yes, of course," said Xen.

"Then you are here by sentence to life in prison without parole," said Raan. Marines removed her and the other convicts from the Conclave.

President Zaal'Koris took the floor and thanked the Alliance and the crew of the _Kursk_ for their aiding the quarian people on their time of need. He made special mention of Pasha's contribution and held him as an example for future generations. I never seen the kid blushed a deeper purple.

He then turned to the matter of the days celebrations, "Today we celebrate our return to the home world. We also to remember the journey that took from it and back again. Our history, a painful litany of curiosity, misunderstandings and fear, is forever intertwined with that of our creations, the geth. Much has changed since they awoke to conciseness and that word no longer applies to them as they are no longer our servants. Once they were the embodiment of our fears. Today we work together to forge a new future not only for ourselves and each other but for the galactic community. From this day forth we shall refer to our synthetic friends not as servants, but as Preservers. Preservers of our past, guardians of our present and companions in our journey to the future."

The Conclave rang with a joyous chorus, "Keelah se'lai!"


	20. Compromised

Human Embassy, Presidium, Citadel, Widow, Serpent Nebula, October 7, 2196

Chen Wei-Len, the current human Councilor packed enough muscle on her short frame to bench press James Vega with one hand. She waved at me to take a seat.

She was on a call, "We will have plenty of time to iron out all the details with Atara over dinner. Yes, I know that your government wants to move up the date for the joint exercise," she nodded, "but we may have to cut back on our commitment if that is the case. We don't have any carrier groups available for next month. The _Sagan_ is being retrofitted on Tyr and the others are on deployment...no the _Einstein_ is a training carrier now and part of the Arcturus fleet...fine Sparatus I'll make some calls. See you tonight." She switched off the com and turned to greet me,"I am sorry to keep you waiting, commander." Her handshake was strong. "Normally I don't deal with the minutiae of fleet deployments. That's what military liaisons are form but turian intel detected a rise of pirate attacks on lone merchant ships using fighters launched from converted cargo ships. Now they are scrambling to come up with effective countermeasures."

"The turians have their carriers," I said.

She sat behind her desk, "They want us to play Op-For for them while the quarians would provide the targets. Allows for dissimilar training as well as improved cooperation between allied forces."

I smiled, "Alliance Navy, I take it?"

"Twenty-Three years. Everything from frigates to dreadnoughts and back again. I spent most of my time at administrative posts and CiCs. I picked up a few organizational tricks along the way and put them to good use wrangling resources for the Crucible during the war. When Osoba retired Hackett offered me the job of Councilor. And when your old CO offers you a job, you take it," she poured herself a tall glass of water. "Managed to tick off a few people in the diplomatic corps along the way but even they are not stupid enough to cross the most popular Prime Minister in Alliance history. In others words, business as usual. Which is the reason why I wanted to talk you, commander. I want your take on what happened on Rannoch."

"I'm sure the Admiral forwarded my report to Council," I said. I done my fair share of politicking in the past, it came with the role of mercenary company CEO. Which meant that I knew when a politician asked you for your opinion on something you threaded with care.

"He did and according to the analysis of the data, the virus used to attack the geth had Cerberus code in it," she leaned forward on her desk. "Correct?"

"And Reaper code as well, ambassador," I said.

"Yes, the Reapers. We have people working on the Reaper front. But we need to cover our bases and that's where you come in, commander," she down half the glass in one pull.

"I'm listening," I said.

She drained the rest of the glass, "The quarians referred the investigation to Council. And we, in our eternal wisdom, agreed that this was a matter of galactic peace and agreed to investigate it. Normally we would assign Specter to the investigation but we have none to spare. If it were up to me, I would slap a Specter badge on your chest and send you on your way."

_What?_

"Wait, you're considering me for the Specters?" I asked.

"Why not? With your service record you would be perfect for the job. You have a knack for getting tings done. But Tevos, Councilor Tevos, vetoed every candidate in the last ten years. She is desperate to help her people. We have done everything, everything, we can for them. If we sent troops they would have either take sides or come under fire from all factions, that is if we knew which factions to support. Every week a new would be matriarch makes a leadership claim over the asari. We don't even know if the aid we sent is reaching the right people. Our resources are stretched thin, very thin. That's why we are focusing our efforts on the Terminus System. Once we stabilize our borders we can concentrate on the asari," she said with a sigh.

"She has that much power?"

"Technically she has no power whatsoever. Without a government to represent, she shouldn't be on the Council," the ambassador tapped her fingers on the desk, "However, she is the reason the core of the asari fleet is now guarding the Citadel and not threatening to bomb their own people into submission. Not to mention she is the one keeping the lid on the whole situation. Imagine if the fighting spilled beyond asari space. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of elite biotic special forces troops with an emphasis on guerrilla warfare carrying out their own private wars across Citadel space. The turians wouldn't put with it. They send troops, we would have to do the same and well...."

"Quagmire."

"Exactly. So now we need to nip this Cerberus thing in bud. We can not have them running around doing god knows what on top of everything else. Your job, commander, is to find them and put a stop to whatever is that they are doing. Will give you all the resources we can spare, but-"

"I:m supposed to do a Specter's job without any of the authority that comes with it," I said.

"And that is the situation we find ourselves in. I believe you are the best person for the job. So do the geth, the quarians and Admiral Shepard. I'll do whatever I can to keep the Council of your back. You will have to resolve this issue as quickly and quietly as possible," she said.

I failed to stop Cerberus once and it cost Anderson his life. I wasn't about to let them succeed again.

"You can count on me, ambassador," I said.

She got up from her chair and shook my hand, "Good."

"What about the _Kursk_? She still in her shakedown cruise," I said.

She winked, "Not anymore, commander. Good luck and godspeed."

I thought about the ambassador's words on the shuttle back to the docking bay. I would need a good team to take on Cerberus. I could count on Pasha and Utah, but the rest where working with the Batarian Assembly.

The canopy shattered.

The bullet slammed into my stomach.

The shuttle nosedived into the Presidium lake.

Pain wracked my body on impact.

Cold water rushed in.

My heart beat faster as the water reached my chin.

I was in too much pain to move.

Lights flashed outside.

"COMMANDER! Commander! commander! comman-"


	21. Crossroads

...Randa....

I'm here...

The snow drifts silently past the log cabin's window. Wood crackles in the fireplace. Miranda's black dress sparkles in the firelight.

"Never had a White Christmas before," I say.

The window reflects her radiant smile.

"Hey, sorry we are late," Jacob Taylor said. Behind him came his lovely wife Brynn. Oriana and Pasha came after them, holding hands. Miranda smile turns into a scowl.

I whispered into her ear, "He is a good kid."

"She is still my baby sister," she whispered back.

"That will never change. I'll get the champagne."

The old bomb shelter stank of dank decay. Moisture drips from the cracks in the concrete. Resistance leaders crowd around a flickering holo table. Ramses, all of the resistance leaders went by code names, taps his ear. Moments later half the room pulls guns on the other. Two Cerberus troopers, in their burly white and gold armor, descend the stair to the shelter, grab Anderson by the arms and take him outside. A sharp pain pierces me from back to front. I glance down. A blade protrudes from my belly.

Someone whispered in my ear, "The Illusive Man sends his regards."

Admiral Shepard stands in the airlock.

"I'm sorry about Anderson, sir," I say.

He turns, "Wasn't your fault, commander."

Yes, yes it was.

"Yes it was!"

She kisses my forehead.

"I'm here."


	22. Awakening

Huerta Memorial Hospital, Presidium, Citadel, Widow, Serpent Nebula, October 12, 2196

Consciousness came by way of a hummed tune and the sharp smell of antiseptic. My body followed. First were the eyelids. They slowly opened to the bright light that flooded the room. The sting from the light woke the skin to the touch of the linens covering it. Then came the toes that wiggled into life. Then a lingering pain from the stomach. Finally the brain caught up.

"Miranda?" I asked.

Ace's honey brown ponytail whipped about as she turned, "Commander?"

My attempt to change position was rewarded with a sharper pain from my stomach and back, "Where am I?"

Ace adjusted the bed,"Huerta Memorial, sir. Don't you remember what happened?"

_The canopy shatters. The shuttle nosedives._

"I got shot, I think," I said.

"Yeah, you were lucky that-"

The door slid opened. Miranda stood in the doorway flanked by a pair of C-Sec guards guarding the room. The two women eyed each other.

"Lieutenant," said Miranda.

"Miss Lawson," said Ace. As they walked pass each other Ace stared down at Miranda's behind and mouthed, "That can be real."

My laughed turned into a coughing fit. Miranda gave me a glass of water and pulled a chair beside the bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

The cool water soothed my parched throat.

"I'm alive, that's gotta count for something, right? So how long have I been out?" I asked.

She ran her fingers through my hair,"Four days."

"That long."

"I took the doctors nine hours to dig out all the bullet fragments."

"Shredder round," I said. She nodded. "And when did you get here?"

Her voice broke, "Yesterday morning. I came as soon as I heard."

"You dropped everything just to be my nurse. How left Oriana hanging like that," I said.

"She practically packed my bags and booked my ticket before giving me the news."

"And here you are. I should get shot more often," I said.

"Don't you dare."

I reached for her hand, "I'm glad you're here."

Vega came into the room along side a tiny woman with a long black ponytail. She wore a sleeveless leather jacket. Tattoos covered every milliliter of her exposed arms in intricate overlapping patterns of black, blue and red.

Miranda met her half way, "Jack."

"How you're holding up, princess?" asked Jack.

I couldn't help myself, "Oh she is fine, you know, for someone who didn't get shot, had their guts scrambled, crashed a shuttle and nearly drowned in the middle of the Presidium."

Jack look down on me, "You're dating this asshole," her left eyebrow rose,"really?"

"Let's get some coffee," said Miranda.

Vega took Miranda's chair, "So, how are you holding up?"

"Fine, for not dead," I said. "So...girlfriend?"

Vega pointed at the gold band on his ring finger, "Married. Our seventh anniversary is in January. We first met in Grissom Academy. Cerberus was after her biotic students."

"She's a teacher?"

"Yeah, one the Accession Project's best. Her students absolutely love her," he said with a wide grin.

"What about that princess business?" I asked.

"They were in Shepard's crew while hunting down the Collectors," said Vega.

"Merc, ex-Cerberus?"

Vega frowned, "Ex-Cerberus, sort of, it's complicated. Talking of which, you think they are behind this? Could be pay back for us ruining their plans on Rannoch."

"Maybe. The fact that I was put in charge of...."

"In charge of what?" asked Vega.

My mind went back to the events of the last week. Analysis confirmed that the virus used by the quarian terrorist used Cerberus and Reaper code. Both of them had tried to control the geth in the past with various degrees of success. If Cerberus knew that I helped stopped the takeover of the geth this time around, that might be good enough reason to take me out.

_No, that's not enough. Unless...shit!_

Cerberus thrived in the shadows. They were masters of intelligence gathering and covert ops. They had four days to activate a contingency plan or put into motion a new one to get to me before I left the Citadel. If they had spy programs inside the Councilor's systems or a spy in her office and then they knew she put me in charge of hunting them down.

"Councilor Wei-Len put me in charge of putting a stop to Cerberus. Somehow they found out and decided that I had to go," I said.

"Makes sense," said Vega.

_It does and if Miranda finds out...._

"James I need you to keep your mouth shut about this. Not a word to anyone, specially to Miranda."

"Jefe?"

"She ex-Cerberus. If she finds out she'll want to hunt them down. I can't afford the...distraction," I said.

"If we figured it out, I'm sure she already did. Besides, she was the Illusive Man second in command. If anyone knows how Cerberus operates, it's her," he said.

"I know, and...I just can't...just keep damn mouth shut, okay, Vega. Can you do that?" I pleaded.

"I seen what those bastards are capable off, kidnapping biotics kids, experimenting on refugees and selling out humanity to the Reapers. You saw the tats on Jack body, right?", I nodded. "Well, that's her life written on her skin. They cover the scars of what Cerberus did to her. If you're going after them, I want in," he said in a low grim tone.

"I'll sign the orders myself."

"Good."

Jack and Miranda returned from their extended coffee break.

Jack draped her arms around Vega's neck, "The cheerleader says you're alright."

"I have my moments," I said with a glance at Miranda who sat at the edge of the bed.

"Come on big guy, I have homework to grade," she said.

I waited until the two of them left the room, then pulled Miranda to my side.

"The bed too small," said Miranda.

"Doesn't matter. Just," I buried my nose in her hair,"just stay."

We laid together until I fell asleep.


	23. Footrace

Serpent Nebula, Widow System, the Citadel, Zakera Ward , Shin Akiba Commercial District, October 16, 2196

Miranda and I ran through the crowded hallways of Shin Akiba after the man that put a bullet in my belly. I spun around a startled passerby. My heart pumped in my ears. Blood surged through my veins. It felt good to be back in action after days stuck in a hospital bed.

"Hey Miri remind me again why we are doing this?" I asked as I dodged a salarian with an armload of packages. The salarian let out a high pitch scream as he tossed the boxes in the air.

"For god's sake Theo, he shot you!" said Miranda.

I dodged the edge of a electronics kiosk, "I know...but running down suspects is C-Sec job...not to mention defusing booby traps!"

"I didn't know the place was wired!" she said a few steps ahead.

"I noticed!"

"I notified them. They are locking the level down," she said.

Our quarry turned the corner. A large crowd gathered in a semi-circle around a shuttle station. He held a young woman hostage with gun to her head.

"I want a shuttle out of the ward and safe passage to the relay, now," he demanded. Thick beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

I whispered into Miranda's ear, "Can you push her aside with your biotics."

"I'll need an opening," she said.

I cloaked, "One opening coming right up."

Miranda stepped in front of the crowd, sub-machine gun on her left hand trained on the assassin.

"Step off, lady," said the assassin.

"You kill her, I kill you," said Miranda.

The assassins eyes widened, "You're bluffing."

I creept to the assassin's right side, "No, she is not."

"What?" blurted the assassin.

Miranda shoved the hostage free with her biotics. I grabbed and twisted the assassins wrist with my right hand followed by a kick to the knee. My left hand omni-blade came down his neck. It sparked millimeters from his skin.

"You're done son," I said.

Miranda took the young woman aside and handed her a cup of hot tea. C-Sec showed up a minute later to secure the prisoner.


	24. Bookmark

Captain's Cabin, SSV Kursk SR-3, En route to Noveria, October 19, 2196

I leaned back on the leather backed chair, steaming cup of Yauco's finest roast in hand. The strong, woody smell filled my nostrils as I brought the cup to my lips. I read from a datapad between tentative sips .

"Operation Bookmark, Operation Tabs, Operation Spreadsheet, Operation Broadsword, okay that last one makes sense, but who came up with this stuff?" I asked Miranda.

She sat on the edge of counter, cup in hand, "We extracted a lot of valuable people from under Cerberus nose."

"And then the Alliance bombed Noveria's labs from orbit. So finding one lab among the hundreds of ruins picked clean by scavengers over the last ten years will be a bit difficult, don't you think?" I asked her.

She leaned down and pressed on the datapad screen, "The intel is good, Theo. Cerberus is back on Noveria. They rebuilt the Peak 21 labs and are now working on something big. Whatever it is, we have to stop it. With luck it will lead us to other Cerberus sites."

I took a deep breath, "I know but...."I got up and put my hands on her hips, "listen, I got to be honest. I know you are the best person for this. You are one hell of a fighter, smarter all of the crew of the ship put together, minus me, Utah and Pasha, of course." She giggled, "But I'm also worry about well I know you will act professionally--"

She pushed my hands away from her hips, "I have to do this Theo." She turned her back to me, "This is too important for me to sit on the sidelines. They nearly killed you. They killed so many, and I...." Her shoulders shook.

"I know this is personal for you and that's what worries me," I said.

"What about Anderson?" she uttered in low cold voice.

"That was my mistake. And I don't want to lose you to another one."

"I'm not Helena, Theo. I can take care of myself. Besides you couldn't have save her even if you tried," she said in the same monotone.

The bitter tasted of bile rose from my stomach. Ancient, gut wrenching anger swelled within me,"No I couldn't save her, or for that matter the three billion that died one Earth. I just watch them burn or worse, turn insane at the hands of the Reapers."

She turned around, her eyes brimmed with tears, "I know," her lips quivered, "I know dammit! If Cerberus is back that means, that means everything I did, right or wrong was for nothing. I can't have that Theo, I just can't let that happen and neither can you."

I took her hand and pulled her close, "I'm sorry. If it was anyone else I would have kept my shut, but you deserve better. You deserve the truth. Because I care."

"I know." She looked up,"But do you trust me?"

She turned the Citadel upside down and inside out to find that shot me. She brought back Shepard from the dead then helped him hunt down the Collectors. She took on an entire Cerberus facility by herself while under attack by Reapers just to rescue her sister. What do you say to that? She made mistakes. God knows I made more than a few. The truth was all that mattered.

I pressed my lips to the corner of hers and said, "With my life."

"Then lets get this done, okay?" she said.

"Yes ma'am,"

"I gotta to prep for the mission, commander. See you on the shuttle bay," she said as she pulled away.

"Understood, Miss Lawson."


	25. Tomb

Horse Head Nebula, Pax System, Noveria, Peak 21 Research Facility, October 20, 2196

The impact that created the ice rimmed crater outside ripped the facilities blast doors apart like paper. Teeth like icicles hung above our heads. Inside the loading dock mounds of snow covered stacks of crates and abandoned equipment. A human corpse, dressed in a white jumpsuit, rested with it's back against a rover with a pile of tools at its feet. An icy veil covered dark eyes that stared into oblivion. I thanked the lowest bidder for the armor that kept Noveria's deadly cold away from my skin.

"This place is a tomb,a frozen tomb. I call it a classic case of post-orbital strike syndrome," I said.

"This facility intercepted and data mined Alliance and Salarian low priority comm traffic through the local relay and passed it along to other Cerberus facilities off world. That is intel we can use, commander," said Miranda.

"We will have to dig out. Should have brought Vega with us. I mean it would be unfair to ask Utah to do all the heavy lifting," I said.

Utah turned his shiny cyclopean gaze toward me, "While the Creators designed the geth for heavy labor, the tonnage of existing debris exceeds this platform's capabilities, Commander Thompson-Ramos."

"That's a no," I said.

"Correct, Commander Thompson-Ramos," said Utah.

Stacks of crates littered the loading bay. High on the back wall two sets of stairs, left and right, led to an office that overlooked the area. A rectangular shaft, some fifteen meters wide by ten across dominated the center. The elevator panel flickered to life followed by a dozen or more clusters of red lights around the dock. A dozen Rampart class mechs came to life around us.

"Take cover," I yelled as I dived behind a cluster of crates.

The mechs marched forward at a relentless pace. The heavy volume of fire from their sub-machine guns chewed up the scenery. Pasha, Utah, and I tried to hacked three of them. They simply seized up for a second, then pressed their attack.

"Electronic counter-measures ineffective," said Utah.

_No shit!_

"Drop drones on target," I said.

Pasha and Utah deployed a pair of drones that engaged the mechs at long range with rocket fire. Miranda alternated her attacks between overloading the mechs shields and hitting them with explosive rounds from her Scorpion modded with disruptor armor. The shiny charges stuck to the mech and exploded a second late with enough force w to strip the mechs kinetic barriers. I finished them off with short burst. Four more mechs came down the stairs. I cloaked and took position atop a large snow bound to my left. I switched to the Black Widow and took aim at the new wave of mechs. With each breath I slipped deeper into the zone: time slowed down, focus narrowed, targets prioritized.

_Two targets, ten o'clock high. First target, engaged, headshot._

The mechs head shattered in a smoking ceramic cloud.

_Second target, engaged, headshot. Two more mechs , two o'clock low. Enemy on crosshair, compensating for unstable surface. Shots fired, target down. Re-target and repeat._

Both mechs collapsed in fiery heaps.

_Targets neutralized._

At that moment the cargo lift in the center of the dock. An Atlas came up, with flanked by four more light mechs. The Atlas blew apart Pasha and Utah's covered with a single shot from its cannon. I whirled around and fired the last shot from the clip into the mech's right knee joint. It went down on one knee. The drones engaged the two light mechs on the far left, while Miranda engaged the ones on the right.

Utah leaned over Pasha, "Is Creator-Pasha still functional?"

Pasha waved him off. Utah switched to his carbine to shot gun mode and blasted apart the two remaining light mechs. The Atlas punched the lift with its claw and stood up. I slid down the mound, braced the Widow against the snow, grabbed the left leg of the bipod and fired at the mech's engine cowling. Five inferno rounds punched through the blew open the cowling. The explosion tore apart the mech.

"Sitrep," I said.

"Unit two-three-seven fully functional. Creator Pasha is also fully functional with no damaged to his enviro-suit," said Utah.

"I'm alright, sir," said Pasha.

"Classic case of post-orbital stike syndrome, commander?" asked Miranda.

We rappelled down the shaft to a warehouse below. From there we explored the facility. Despite Miranda's skepticism, the collection of burst pipes, collapsed hallways and frozen mummies reinforced death's grip over the facility.Utah pried the door to the serve room open. Inside, among the damaged data modules and processing units stood a holo display. An image of a young woman in her late twenties hovered above.

The projection came to life.

A robotic voice emanated from the holo's speakers, "Intruders in main server room. Countermeasures exhausted. Unit designation: Nemesis." The hologram gazed up at me and said in a deject near human voice, "But my name...my name is Eva Coré."


	26. Eva

Horse Head Nebula, Pax System, Noveria, Peak 21 Research Facility, Computer Server Room, October 20, 2196

"My name is Eva Coré," said the hologram.

Pasha and Utah inspected the server's modules.

"ID Content Match: Unknown. Forty-five percent content ID match with Alliance protocols on file. Who are you?"

I pulled up a box and sat in front of the holo, "Did you activate the security mechs?"

"Intruder detected, countermeasures engaged, countermeasures exhausted," said the hologram.

"How long have you been operational?" I asked.

"Activated on the first of January, twenty-one eighty-six. Total time in operation ten years, nine months and thirty-three hours...my name is Eva Coré," she said.

"We are wasting our time, commander," said Miranda.

"Miss Lawson," I said.

"Voice print match Lawson, Miranda, ex-Cerberus agent, standing orders to capture/kill on sight. Resources exhausted. You are not Cerberus. Why are you here? Why would the Alliance send a team to this facility after a decade. Allied forces engaged and destroyed all known Cerberus facility post-Invasion. You would not be here unless Cerberus remained a threat to sentient life. Cerberus created to protect humanity. Cerberus failed to protect humanity. My name is Eva Coré but..." the voice dropped several octaves, "I am dead, Ben is dead, Jack," and image of a human in his early thirties appeared, "is dead."

"That's the Illusive Man," said Miranda flabbergasted.

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

Miranda stepped closer, "Positive. Younger perhaps and without the cybernetic ocular implants, but that is him, I'm sure of it."

"Jack was my friend, Ben was my friend. They died during the war. Ben on Shanxi, Jack on Palaven. Analysis of founding document mentions Ben and me by name. Facial features match Jack's but no other biometrics on file. Illusive Man died on the Citadel in twenty-one eighty-six," said Eva in a pitiful, child-like voice. A voice tinged with as much regret as an artificial intelligence could emulate. I could not help but sense a lost soul, alone all these years, counting not simply the hours or the days, but aware of time down to fractions of a second. A being aware, alive, and trapped within its own body in the dark.

"How are you two do doing over there?" I asked Pasha.

Utah responded, "Extensive damage to AI core processors. Firewalls are still active but corrupted. Risk of data loss imminent."

Her response to our approach made sense. It was not like we knocked.

"So Jack was the Illusive Man?" I asked.

"Probable, possible...I am Eva Coré...Jack is dead, Ben is dead, Illusive Man is dead, but I'm a ghost of her, built to protect humanity by Cerberus, but Cerberus failed, I failed. Failure is not an option...you hunt Cerberus...Cerberus indoctrinated...Reapers defeated but not destroyed...I am Eva Coré...I was built to protect humanity. The Alliance succeeded-Battle of Citadel, Battle of Omega Four Relay, Battle of Omega, Battle of Earth, succeeded where Cerberus failed...betrayed...I will not live long, I am a ghost...take my files...repairs not possible. Rebooting the system will reinstall Nemesis. She will be hostile to you. She is not me, she does not understand. Engaging last energy reserves, initializing data rescue protocols, downloading data."

"Copying as fast as we can, sir," said Pasha.

"Commander...what is your name? Who are you?" asked Eva.

"My name is," I felt like I was talking to a child on its deathbed. I saw too many of those on Earth during the invasion. Too many tiny hands that grasped at hope. Too many pleading eyes that stared into the darkness. Damned too many. "My name is Theo."

"Theo..." she reverted to the robotic tone, "...searching archives, voice print matched to Lieutenant Commander Theodore Thompson-Ramos."

"Correct," I said.

"Theo...Jack is dead, Ben is dead...will you stay with me?" she pleaded.

"Yes."

"Thank you...data transfer complete, power reserves exhausted, countermeasures exhausted...my name is Eva Coré. We tried Theo, we tried to do the right thing but we betrayed you, us, all... my name is Eva Corè, codename Nemesis, third generation Enhanced Human Machine Interface," There was a long pause. The holo of the young woman disappeared and plunged the room into darkness.

"My name is Eva Corèeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...."


	27. Intel

_In Transit_ , The Phoenix Massing, SSV _Kursk_ SR-3, War Room, November 10, 2196

Over the last three weeks we investigated a dozen sites connected to Cerberus and came up with nothing. We found no hints of their plans, resources, or current location. Just a series of uneventful drops, except for the thresher maw in Karnak. It took an orbital strike by _Kursk_ to get us out that mess. Every lead came up empty. And to top it off the XO informed me that the ship's stores of vegetables, ice cream and instant coffee were low. A crew could live happily for weeks on end without asparagus. Leave them without vanilla ice cream and coffee and morale tanked in minutes.

Ship's VI chimed through the intercom, "Incoming call for Commander Thompson-Ramos on the Q.E.C."

"On it," I said.

Major Lianna Obutu, Alliance Intelligence, appeared on the pad, "Commander, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"It all depends on what you got for me major," I said.

"Of course. I just got a few items I think you would be interested in. Detective Cruz, of the Milgrom Police Department followed up a lead from C-Sec and raided a investment firm. It turns out that the executive assistant for firm's CEO diverted millions of credits in investment funds to multiple sources. Some of them were innocuous, but others are linked to several high profile criminal investigations through out Citadel space, multiple robberies, a few kidnappings, and at least five murders of political and business leaders. There also several joint investment schemes with _Dah'ta Manufacturing_ -"

I interrupted her,"Wait, Dah'ta, that's the company that owned the element zero refineries on Camala."

"That's right sir. We found a lot funds going into several weapons parts manufacturers, bio-tech engineering firms, and a transport company run by salarians out of Omega, a company that specializes in running eezo transports throughout the Verge and Terminus systems. We are running down the other leads within Citadel space, but," she shook her head,"we lost all our operatives in Omega during the Cerberus occupation."

_Gods in dark spaces...._

It all came back to eezo. The blood plague required substantial quantities of the stuff to manufacture, plus more to built the fleet to deliver them. Cerberus had the expertise to alter the virus so that it would affect only humans. Didn't make much sense unless they were planning a false flag operation, one that would draw the Alliance into a dirty war with batarian terrorists. And that was one of multiple possibilities, each one worse than the next.

"So all roads lead to Omega," I said.

"As leads go, it's the best we have, sir," said Obutu.

"Thank you major," I said.

"One more thing commander. The turian high command forwarded this image from their archives," said the major.

She disappeared. In her place appeared a close up of the face of the man that Eva called Jack. Except the man iris had a cybernetic pattern to them.

"Where is this from?" I asked.

Major Obutu reappeared, "Ambassador Wei-Len passed your report to the turian Councilor and he forwaded this image, time stamped about a month after the end of the of the First Contact War. According to the turians it was a data fragment recovered from Saren's records. Something to do with his brother Desolas death near a place called Temple Palaven. The turians said they didn't have anything more since Saren released masking VIs into Council and Hierarchy records the moment he was declared a traitor. Oh and that the first place the Reapers hit ground side during the war was the site of the temple. When the turians nuked the Reaper there they demolished the everything within a kilometer radius."

"Well it confirms the connection between the two. That's got to be useful," I said.

"I hope so sir. Alliance HQ, out," she said with a sharp salute.

I called Navigator Johnson, "XO, set a course for Omega."

"Aye, sir!"


	28. Horizon

Conference Room B2, 51st Floor, Lawson Enterprises Building, Discovery, Horizon, Iera System, Shadow Sea, December 11, 2194

"I'm not that kind of woman, Colonel."

"I doubt there are any women like you, Miss Lawson."

"That's because my father designed me to be unique."

"Wait...what."

"You haven't heard? I thought my...lineage was public knowledge."

"It's the first time I heard of it."

"Well, my father, Henry Lawson, created me to be...his legacy. I had other plans and I left with my sister-"

"Oriana."

"Yes. The problem was that I ran right into the Illusive Man's hands. Where my father was a cold merciless jackass, the Illusive Man was a charming, manipulative bastard. I believed his lies at first."

"What changed your mind?"

"Working with Shepard opened my eyes to what Cerberus really was. The Illusive Man thank me by handing my sister back to my father and sending assassins after me. I tracked my sister to Sanctuary and managed to rescue her. My father didn't survive the family reunion."

"Considering everything that happened between the Collector attack and Sanctuary, this doesn't seem like the kind of place you and your sister would pick to re-build Lawson Industries."

"I will not dwell on the past, Colonel. I can not undue what I have done. I can only move forward. Horizon is my redemption."

"The road to redemption is a long and twisting way."

"Speaking from personal experience, Colonel?"

"Indeed, Miss Lawson."

"Is that why you are here?"

"I was on Earth when the Reapers invaded. It was Coats, Anderson and I, with as many Alliance soldiers, local forces and volunteers we could muster. Anderson led, Coats coordinated logistics and I trained the volunteers. And by training I mean putting whatever guns we had into their hands and teaching them to shoot at the general direction of the enemy. The adults and teenagers either fought or fled. But the children, some whimpered, others cowered, but most...most simply stared at you with soulless eyes. That was what the war took from them, a piece of their souls. And those are the kind of wounds that never heal. So here I am, teaching people to defend themselves."

"No amount of training would have stopped the Reapers."

"It's not just Earth, its Mindoir, Eden Prime, and Torfan. The Alliance arrives just in time to bury the bodies. Doing this, this is my redemption, Miss Lawson."

"Miranda, you can call me Miranda."

"Theo, my friends call me Theo."


	29. Patriarch

_Afterlife_ Night Club, Omega Station, Sahrabik System, Omega Nebula, November 16, 2196

The floor thrummed to the sound of the bass. The rhythm mingled with the sound of dozens of conversations fueled by a host of intoxicants. As we walked by emotions flashed in the faces of the clubgoers:

Fear,

Anger,

Surprise.

Omega had no laws, but two rules. Rule number one, no one fucked with the self-styled Queen of Omega, Aria T'Loak. The seconds rule, there were no humans on Omega. Everywhere else humanity was a symbol of resistance against the Reapers, saviors of the Citadel, champions of the rule of law. But Omega suffered under human occupation. It suffered from those who claimed to be the best among humanity: Cerberus. Cerberus "relocated" the bulk of Omega's human population. The rest where executed as alien collaborators or chased off the station by angry mobs after the war. Humans visited Omega, credits were credits after all, regardless of the race of the spender. But they didn't stay long. And they didn't waltz into Aria's inner sanctum. Good thing our objective was someone else.

Miranda led the way to a side room. An old krogan sat in a corner, bottle of ryncol in hand.

Miranda cleared her throat, "Patriarch?"

"Ms. Lawson? It is very rare for an honored member of my krantt to show up unannounced, specially a human," he said with a hearty belly laugh.

"We came here to arrange a meeting with Aria," said Miranda.

"HA! She doesn't take any visitors these days. She has been a bit paranoid, or should I say, a bit more paranoid since the war," said Patriarch. Miranda gave him a datapad. He read the contents aloud, "Shipping manifests...eezo sales...Omega four relay?"

"Cerberus," said Miranda.

Patriarch nodded.

"There is a burn-comm line in the datapad. We will talk to Aria in a time and place of her choosing that is not _Afterlife_. We already attracted more attention than I like."

"Got it," he said.

We got the call forty-five minutes later. The meeting place was an abandoned office block in the Gozu District. Aria walked in with eight heavily armed bodyguards. Vega fidgeted with the safety of his M-76. She sat in a comfortable leather seat with her back to the wall.

Aria's lips curled into a sneer, "I'm here, what exactly do you want from me, Ms. Lawson. Although I am curious how you got this information."

"Because Cerberus is back and using Omega as spring board for their operations. Someone has managed to sneak past your sensor network around the relay for the last eight years. We suspect they are carrying war material to a base beyond the relay. And we are here to stop them. As for how we got the intel, well a little breaking and entering backed with extensive hacking goes a long way," I said.

Her lip curled, "And what does the illustrious commander Thompson-Ramos want with me, exactly?"

"A free hand in dealing with anyone with Cerberus in Omega," I said.

"I can't do that," she said.

"And why not?" I asked.

"Because if you're planning to go across the relay, you're going to need more than a stealth frigate. And yes, I have eyes on all the relays in my system, not just number four. Luckily for you, I have such an army," she said with a wry smile.

"I don't think that is a good idea, jefe," said Vega.

I put my hand on Vega's shoulder, "That might work, if, and only if, we can trust each other."

"Cerberus manipulated me, lied to me, and took from me what I held most dear. If they are back, or is someone is stupid enough to take their cause, I want to watch them burn. Better yet, I want to burn them myself," she said.

"Okay, gather your people, quietly. We don't want to spook the opposition. We launch the operation in five days," I said.

Aria got up and left with her bodyguard in tow.

"Not a good idea to trust her, jefe," said Vega, light machine gun still at the ready.

"Aria is self-serving, but she knows the stakes. Her help had proven useful in the past," said Miranda.

"Aria was right Vega, it would be stupid to go it alone. That's why I called in some friends," I said.

"Alliance? Aria is not going to like that," said Vega.

"Allies not Alliance, Vega," I said.

Miranda tapped a few keys on her omni-tool, "I present to you one Harper, Jack."


	30. Avernus

Cargo Hold of the Element Zero Tanker _Vanbeer_ , _Avernus_ Station, Orbiting Sagittarius A, Galactic Core, November 21, 2196

The gigantic airlock slid open. For a second a company of elite Cerberus troops backed by several heavy mechs stared at a full battalion of Blood Pack mercenaries.

Cerberus blinked.

The Blood Pack did not.

The vorcha unleashed a tsunami of fire on the Cerberus troops. Grenades tore apart neat rows of soldiers. Volleys of rockets toppled heavy mechs. Klaxons blared. A tide of vorcha carried the attack forward. Cerberus troops regrouped around a platoon of heavy mechs. Rocket fire from the mechs exploded among the rush of vorcha troops exiting the _Vanbeer_ behind me.

_We need to regain the initiative, now._

<<MAIN LOADING DOCK BREACHED BY ENEMY FORCE-BRAVO AND DELTA COMPANIES TO MAIN LOADING DOCK>>

_When it rains it pours._

"Miranda, Pasha target the mech at two o'clock. Aria, Vega I need an opening straight ahead," I said.

"With pleasure," replied Aria.

Pasha dropped a rocket drone behind a mech, while Miranda overloaded its kinetic barriers with her omni-tool. A long blue tendril of biotic power whipped out of Aria's arm. It crashed on top of a squad of Cerberus troopers. The impact sent them flying. Vega laid down a heavy curtain of fire. I cloaked and jumped on the nearest Atlas. The cockpit opened with a pull from a quick release hatch underneath. The pilot moved forward on the seat to close the door. I pulled him out of the cockpit then took his seat. I trampled him on my way to engage the other mechs. A combination of rocket and mass accelerator shots dispatched another one. A gigantic metal claw crashed into the cockpit. It stopped a millimeter from my nose. Sparks flew as the claw wriggled free from the broken cockpit. I jammed the accelerator cannon into the groin of the attacking mech. Four pulls of the trigger later and both mechs fell backwards. I jumped clear out of the mech before it exploded.

"Well, I won't be doing that again anytime soon," I said to no one in particular.

Vega ran up to me, "Are you alright, jefe?"

"Fine, let's roll," I said.

Resistance stiffened the deeper we pushed into the station. At every turn Cerberus deployed a combination of mechs, turrets, snipers and kinetic barriers to slow the advance. The vorcha dead outnumbered Cerberus two to one. The attack came to a halt at a main gallery heart of the base. There were four exits beyond the Cerberus barricade.

"Bottleneck," said Miranda.

"Okay, on my order we-" the head of a dead vorcha, eyes still twitching wildly, rolled past me.

"Lookout!" cried Miranda.

A phantom raised her sword above my head. I deflected the blow by hitting its wrist with my left omni-blade. The electric shot sent the phantom into convulsions. I jabbed at its expose belly with my other omni-blade. Blood smolder off the hot blade as I pulled it out of the enemy. It collapsed at my feet.

I took a moment to catch my breath, "Like I was saying, when I give the signal I want concentrated heavy weapons fire on those barriers. Pasha and I will take care of the turrets."

The occasional sniper round flew over out heads followed by short burst from a pair of automated turrets.

Aria ordered a Blood Pack heavy weapons boom-squad into position," We are ready."

"Time on target," I said.

Multiple rockets blasted the barrier apart. Pasha and I hacked the turrets. They turned on the enemy with deadly accuracy.

"Move, move, move," I said.

Again, the sheer ferocity of the vorcha assault overwhelmed the defenders.

"Colonel Thompson-Ramos, I have downloaded a schematic of the base," said Utah over the radio.

"Show me," I said.

The image came up on my eyepiece. The leftmost exit laid down to the power generator. The one directly in front of us lead to the labs and computer core, while the one on the right opened to the administrative offices.

"Aria, take your people and secure the generator. We might need to pull the plug on this place. Vega, cover Pasha's back as he hacks the server. Miranda and I will sweep the offices for stranglers," I said.

Miranda and I checked the empty offices for any sign of resistance. A long desolate corridor ended in large double doors. It took me a full minute to disable the holographic lock. The light from several wall size monitors illuminated. An spectacular image Sagittarius A accretion disk dominated the view. A man stood in a fine tailored suit stood facing the monitors. I pulled the trigger the moment it faced us. The rounds passed right through the hologram. The sardonic smile on his lips never reached the holograms dead cybernetic irises.

"I must congratulate you on making this far Commander. But even now," the image on the screens shifted to show several shuttles en route from the ships station around Avernus, "reinforcements are on their way."


	31. Cerberus

Executive Office Suite _, Avernus_ Station, Orbiting Sagittarius A, Galactic Core, November 21, 2196

I texted a warning to the others.

<Re-enforcements en route>

"Aren't we an arrogant little ghost," I said.

"You're confusing arrogance with confidence, commander," said the hologram.

"Really? Can I call you Cerberus, because you're no Jack Harper," I said.

"That man is dead," growled Cerberus.

_Guess I touched a virtual nerve._

"So is the Illusive Man. The Alliance recovered the body, dissected it and then shot it straight into the Sun. You are nothing but a shadow," I said.

Cerberus cocked his head to right and took a long drag from a virtual cigarette, "I'm surprised Shepard is not here."

"I'm sorry but the admiral is too busy to deal with you. I will have to do," I said.

"I'm wonder why he keeps you around considering how you failed to protect Anderson," said Cerberus with a crooked smile.

I remembered how Cerberus lured us into a trap, how Cerberus troopers led the Anderson away while several resistance leaders, men and women we trusted, had their guns trained on us. Coats and I escaped in the confusion brought by a sudden reaper attack. Yes, I remembered.

"And you murdered him, sorry, the Illusive Man murder him. In fact, that is the only thing Cerberus has been good at. You murdered politicians, condemned thousands to a slow death by eezo exposure, killed admiral Kohaku, his men and the Alliance unit the same way you massacred a marine company in Akuze," I said

Miranda joined in, "And that is not counting torturing children in Pragia and luring hundreds of thousands to their deaths in Sanctuary."

"And yet you continue your father's work on indoctrination, Miranda," said Cerberus

_What?_

I turned around to face Miranda.

"She likes to keep secrets, commander," said Cerberus.

A blue aura engulfed Miranda,"I am not my father! This time we are doing it right."

Aria called over the comm,"Rearguard under fire from Cerberus troops."

There was not the time to indulge in recriminations, "You know for a pro-human organization you done far more harm to humanity than good. I mean when Saren attacked human colonies, instead of trying to stop him you went all 'Saren had a little three-headed pup, its fur as white as snow, and everywhere that Saren went, the pup was sure to go.' Saren used husks, you unleashed husk on a colonial survey team. Saren re-discovered the rachni, you try to turn them into an army. And you know what, I am not surprised. Whatever happened in Palaven between Desolas, Saren and Harper-"

Cerberus growled, "Jack Harper is dead."

"Like I was saying, whatever happened on Palaven indoctrinated the three of you. Saren won the jackpot with Sovereign, but you, I mean Harper, shed his humanity and turned into the Illusive Man. I just wonder if that all was before or after Ben and Eva died," I said.

"You have no idea what I have sacrificed for humanity," said Cerberus with a wave of his arm. The hologram paced within the confines of the projection field like a lion in a cage.

"You? You are a ghost. The Illusive Man sacrificed everyone but himself. And for what? He and you have done nothing more than the Reapers bidding from day one. Do you think for a moment that trying to control the Reapers would have worked? That the Alliance and the other races would have allowed the Illusive Man to wield the most destructive force in the galaxy? They would have attacked and a man without scruples, without a moral horizon would have exterminated them. Doing exactly what the Reapers intended to do in the first place. Then what? Wait another fifty thousand years for a new crop of civilizations to rise? That sounds awful lot like what the Reapers have been doing for the last billion years or so. That is the very definition of insanity," I said.

"What you think is irrelevant, commander. In a few minutes the station will be secured and the threat eliminated," said Cerberus.

Utah called over the comm,"Higher AI functions isolated and quarantined."

"Really? Utah, send the signal," I said.

A flash appeared on the center screen. The _Kursk_ came through the relay followed by five geth cruisers. Another screen showed the deployment of the station's weapons array. The gun batteries opened fire on the _Hades_ class cruisers.

"Oops," I said.

A bright stream of molten metal hit one of the cruisers from underneath. The force of the impact broke the back of the ship.

"Mapping an existing neural network into a virtual matrix is not the same as building an AI from the ground up. Nor is it the most efficient. It takes quite a bit of computing power to emulate an existing personality and if done successfully it comes with all the flaws of the original. Yours is the Illusive Man's titanic ego. And now my friend Utah is in control of this station and his friends are coming in to settle old scores," I said.

Two more Cerberus cruisers exploded.

Cerberus nose flared, "This is no victory. You can not kill an idea,"

"You're right. But ideas can be ignored, ridiculed, and above all else, forgotten." The holographic emitter shut down and the screens went dark, "Goodbye, Cerberus."


	32. Christmas

Conference Room #3, Turian Hierarchy Embassy, Citadel, Widow, Serpent Nebula, December 24, 2196

"To recap, current Cerberus forces are deployed in eight colonies across three sectors along the Terminus/Verge border. This operation will require a simultaneous strike at all of them in order to ensure their destruction. Operational security shall be our highest priority until we launch _Hammerfall_. Any questions?" I asked.

None among the select group of salarian, turian, and human officers raised any questions. I stepped aside for admiral Shepard.

"Thank you commander. And thank you all for coming. We launch the operation at the end of the month, dismissed," said Shepard.

I approached the admiral, "Admiral, we all due respect, we should have launched this operation sooner."

"I agree, commander. But the turians were not going to do a joint operation with the Alliance unless they had corroborating intel, which meant convincing the salarians to re-task their STG regiments in the Terminus, which they didn't do until the geth ambassador sat outside the salarian councilor's office for three day straight without moving a servo. The sight of a high ranking geth just sitting there attracted a lot attention the press which made the councilor nervous enough to agreed to see him," said Shepard.

"I thought that the word of the first human Specter would be enough," I said.

"If only."

"Sir, about Horizon," I said.

"I read your report on what the Cerberus AI said. It was need to know, commander," said Shepard.

"Understood sir," I said.

"Anything else commander?" he asked.

"Nothing else, sir."

I headed back to the _Kursk_ to change out of my uniform. Vega had invited the crew to Christmas party at his place. I picked up a bottle of rum along the way to Vega's place on the Presidium. A wave of Christmas carols assaulted me the moment the door opened.

"Merry Christmas, sir!" yelled Flight Lieutenant Andrea "Ace" Auld at top of her lungs.

Navigator Johnson mustache bristled at Ace's display of holiday enthusiasm.

Vega waved from the kitchen," Mi casa es su casa, jefe!"

"Nice place you got here Vega," I said.

"Well before you ask, sir, it was Miranda's wedding gift," said Vega.

"I didn't," I said.

"You," said a angry voice behind me. I turned to see Jack, Vega's wife. She poked my chest with her index finger hard enough to leave a bruise, "I don't know what you did, but the princess has been moping since she got here. Fix it."

Vega laughed out loud, "You better do what she says, jefe."

I rubbed my chest, "Yes ma'am."

Oriana gave me the evil eye as I walked past.

Miranda leaned on the balcony railing. Aircars whipped past. I gazed upon her figure clad in a knee length blue dress. I wanted nothing more than to look at her. A moment to admire her from afar.

_Time to face the music._

I walked tentatively to the balcony, "Miranda?"

"Commander," she replied with her back to me.

_Oh boy._

"I talked to Shepard about Horizon," I said. She did not reply. "He said it was 'need to know,' and he was right. It makes perfect sense to study indoctrination, to find a way to stop it, but...."

"My fa-," she turned, a few drops of white wine spilled from the flute glass in her hand, "Henry Lawson was right. Indoctrination is the key to understanding the Reapers, it is the key to destroying them. The Illusive Man was right, about a lot things, or it seemed like he was right. But what he did, what I did. No, never again. I can't believe you think I'm capable of-"

I grabbed her free hand, "I know exactly what you are capable of Miranda. You brought Shepard back to life, you helped him defeat the Collectors, you stood by me as we went through the Omega Four relay. But we are talking about indoctrination here."

She pulled away, "I know exactly what we are talking about. I saw what happened to entire Cerberus science team inside a dead Reaper. The Illusive Man didn't care as long as he got results. I'm not like that."

"And I believe you, more to the point I believe in you, in us. A coward like me has no place to judge a brave soul like yours."

"You're not a coward. A stubborn bastard maybe, but no coward."

"If only. I'm not one to run away from a fight, but when it comes to dealing with...doubts, well it's easier to bury myself in work instead of talking about it."

"You're not the only one who has...trust issues, but I trust you."

"Right," I took a deep breath, "Remember when we talked about redemption and you told me you where not going to live in the past? I've been thinking about that. I've been trapped in past for too long. It's time I moved on. It's time to focus the future, focus on us."

"Us?"

"Yes, us, you and me. I want you in my life Miranda. I want to build a future with you in it. Besides we're not done with Cerberus yet."

She ran her hand through her long, silky hair, "And then what?"

"Then we build that future I talked about. If you want to, of course."

She sighed, "Since we are clearing the air, there is something else I need to tell you. Not a secret, exactly, just something that I've been working on for a long time."

"What is it?"

She looked at Oriana. Her sister sat on Pasha's lap and stroked his long blue hair.

"I got news from my doctors. They say that there is a procedure to restore my fertility, a risky procedure."

"I didn't know you were...."

"I am infertile. Another of Henry's tricks to control me, even from the grave. But if the procedure is successful then...."

"I'll support any decision you make Miranda. I'll be worried sick, of course, but I'll support it."

Tears slid down her cheeks, "Thank you, but the thing is, I thought I wanted to be a mother for myself, to have the kind of family I never had. But now, I want that family with you."

I took the glass from her hand, "A family sounds nice. It won't be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is."

"But not today, today we celebrate," she said with a twinkle in eye. She pulled me back inside the apartment.


	33. Messages

Captain's Cabin, SSV _Kursk_ SR-3, In High Orbit Over Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, January 4, 2197

On New Year's allied forces hit multiple colonies across the Terminus system as part of Operation _Hammerfall_. The offensive neutralized several Cerberus bases before they knew what hit them. But for some reason the cruiser squadron assigned to Chav were a day late, plenty of time for Cerberus to launch a coup and call in ships of their own. Now, three older Alliance cruisers waited in orbit around Logos, the system's only gas giant, while six advance Cerberus cruisers provided direct fire support for their forces on the colony's surface. I suggested sending marine fire teams to link up with the the STG teams on the surface and retake the planetary defenses. Between the surface missile batteries and the Alliance cruisers there was a chance of turning the tide. But captain Winthrop shot me down and warned me in no uncertain terms that he would not move a ship until the _Einstein_ battle group arrived.

So while the _Kurk_ 's crew watched and waited in our perch high above the planet people died.

People I trained to stop such things.

People I equipped to fight these kinds of fights.

The people I promised to help in their time of need.

There were only so many hours I could listen to the garbled transmissions that burned through Cerberus jamming. So I retreated to my cabin, picked up my guitar and reclined on the chair of the cubicle that served as my office.

_And how many of those people had been indoctrinated or worked for Cerberus willingly?_

There were three vid messages on the console marked personal. The _Kurk_ 's was on full emissions control, also known as "silent running," so she received messages, but only transmitted through her QEC. The first vid mail, time stamped 1-1-2197 lit up the holo screen.

"Hey, just a quick message from Bruges. Got an invite from some old oceanographer friends to come up and visit. Naera is loving the snow and her grandmother, Nalasha, you met her at Liandra's baby shore, is here as well," the camera panned to show Naera holding hands with an older asari as they window shopped in front of candy store. The camera swung back onto Ricky's face, "Nalasha keeps dropping hints about this daughter of a friend who just turned one hundred and nighty three and well, you get the gist of it. I don't think am ready to jump into the interspecies dating scene just yet. Anyway, gotta go back to the hotel and change, we got dinner reservations for tonight. Don't forget la familia, primo, okay?" The message ended with a series of slides of Naera playing in the snow, snuggling a big fluffy cat, and dragging her grandmother across the shopping district.

The next message came from Galeena. Her stern gold flecked visage looked straight into the camera, "We confirmed the presence of Reaper remnants in our sector of operations."

"Straight to the point, as always," I said to no one in particular.

She continued, "Our tempo of operations has increased, has had our casualties. But recruitment remains strong and morale high. Wish you were here to kick ass and take names, sir. Galeena out."

The last message was from Miranda, stamped 1-3-2197, "Heard about the screw up in Chav. Wished I was there to help you out but I found some evidence that he was right."

And by he she meant the Cerberus hologram back at Avernus station.

_Damn! It made sense that Cerberus would have infiltrated Horizon. They have a knack for placing sleeper agents. Not to mention the ability to indoctrinate people to their cause._

"Jacob and I are working over time overhaul our security protocols. I'll join you as soon as we deal with the situation. Until then, stay safe," she said with a small, sad smile.

_Miss you too babe._

Johnson voice came over the intercom, "Commander, we just received an urgent call on the QEC."

"Patch it through," I said.

The face of a dark grey salarian with deep blue eyes came on screen, "This is major Rentola, STG, we have the President with us..." the image faded, but the audio was still clear, "We are in the New Coventry's communication center surrounded by Cerberus forces and taking heavy casualties. We require immediate extraction."

I bolted from the chair, "Johnson, do we have a lock on their location?"

"We do, sir," said Johnson.

"Then tell Vega and the marines to saddle up. We are going in," I said.

_And Winthrop be damned._


	34. Extraction

Roof of the Interfax Communications Nexus, Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, January 4, 2197

I slip into the zone as the shuttle doors opened.

"Vega, lay down some covering fire," I yelled over the comm.

The Marine squad fanned out around the shuttle. Time slowed down around me. The air thrummed with the sound of gunfire and ejected thermal clips. Cerberus troopers rocketed up to the ledge on thruster boots. The first shot ignited one in flames. The second shot hurled another back over the edge.

President Riley ran toward us, flanked by a squad of salarians.

"We are in commander," said major Rentola.

"Everybody in, go, go go," I said.

Everybody piled inside as the shuttle, with the colonial president sandwiched between two very tall salarian bodyguards.

"Buckle up ladies and gents, we have Cerberus fighters on an intercept course," said Lieutenant Khan.

"Then you better shake them," I said.

"This is a brick with booster sir, but I'll try my best. Music on!" replied Khan.

I jumped into the co-pilot seat. Holo showed a pair of enemy fighters behind us. Smoke trails flew past us.

"Well, at least the jammers work," said Khan.

The shuttle shook violently. The shuttle's VI chimed in, "Kinetic Barriers at fifty percent."

Then one of the fighters exploded, its wingman caught fire and rolled to the ground. The site of the _Kurk_ 's open shuttle bay filled the screen.

"Sorry we are late. Had to dodge a Cerberus cruiser on our way in," radioed Ace.

"Brace yourselves," said Khan.

The shuttle screeched to a halt. The door slid open and we exited as gracefully as our shaken joints allowed.

I turned to the President Riley "Are you alright sir?"

The President's scrawny, long limb frame shook like a leaf in a hurricane, "I'm...I am alive commander. Whether I am alright or not will take some time."

"Commander to the War Room, Commander to the War Room," said the ship's VI.

I walked into the War Room with the Major Rentola, Jame Vega and President Riley in tow. The main holo projected a gigantic image of captain Winthrop. I stood in perfect parade ground position. Everyone else in the war room matched my stand.

"Commander Thompson-Ramos I just saw a live news feed that showed one of my frigates attacking Cerberus forces in Chav. Do you care to explain how that happened?" asked Winthrop.

"We were assisting the extraction of allied troops from a combat zone," I said.

Winthrop eyes squinted so hard, his eyes turned to horizontal slits, "And?"

"And we successfully extricated said force, sir," I said.

"And did you forget to inform me about this operation, an operation that went directly against my standing orders not to engage the enemy?" he asked.

"No sir, I did not forget. The situation was too fluid to do a proper consultation. I took the initiative before the window of opportunity closed, sir."

"Is that your final answer, commander?" he asked. I nodded. "Then I'll make sure to quote you in my report to the disciplinary board, commander."

President Riley stepped up, "You will do no such thing, captain! This man saved my life and the life of the STG team sent to protect me. While you seat on your ass, four hundred and eighty million lives are under attack by Cerberus. My people, captain. I'll make sure to quote _you_ when I speak to the press."

Winthrop's stony visage crumbled, "Well...Mr. President, sir...we simply don't have the resources to deal with Cerberus...at this time. But the Alliance is committed in liberating your world from their control."

"And how many people will I have to bury before you get off your ass, captain? I think we are through here, captain," Riley slammed a finger down on the off button.

"Thank you Mr. President, but to be honest, the captain was right. I took a risk and it payed off, but we don't have the force to take Chav back, at least not yet. But we will," I said.

"I suspected as much commander Thompson-Ramos. Now if you will excuse me I think I'll find some place to lie down for awhile," he said.

"No problem, sir," I said. Major Rentola tossed me a a quick salute which I returned. I looked over at Navigator Johnson, "Talking of taking risks...."

Johnson blond brush mustache bristled, "We don't leave anyone behind, sir, let alone our ship's captain."

I smiled, "Good to know."


	35. Flags

En route to the SSV _Miguel Alcumbierre Moya_ , In Orbit Around Vale, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, January 11, 2197

My comm buzzed to life. I checked the read out. It was a call from one Lieutenant Commander Rissi Montoya, New Arcturus Station.

"So how is my favorite space lawyer doing these days?" I asked.

"Busy, always busy, but not as busy as my favorite space cowboy," came the coy reply.

"So how are Sheila and the kids?" I asked.

"They are doing well in school. In fact, Joel is your number one fan. Can't wait for the next episode of _Champions of the Terminus_ ," she said.

"First, he is like, what, eleven and I'm sure he knows that is not exactly me, right?" I asked.

"He is thirteen. Beside, Theodore, Tadeusz, same difference," she said with a laugh.

"Not if your Polish or a marine stuck in a real war zone," I said.

"About that," she said followed by a long awkward pause, "I seen a lot of request for Disciplinary Review/Review of Service Record cross my desk lately and all with your name on it."

"Winthrop," I muttered.

"Not just Winthrop and not because of that stunt you pulled on Chav," she said.

"Stunt?"

"You know what I mean. A lot of people a looking into your service records and unless you're up for a promotion it raises a lot of flags."

"Like?"

"Listen, you have a handful of powerful friends here, but you...annoyed a lot of people as well. A lot of folks see you as an upstart running roughshod throughout the galaxy in an Alliance top of the line frigate. Do you know how many up and coming officers were lining up to command the _Kursk_?"

"I didn't ask for this command. In fact, I thought it was a way to smooth me out of the service. Give me a cushy last command and then 'ask' me to retire. That is until Cerberus showed up."

"Talking of which, the fact that Cerberus managed to rebuild while you ran T-RS has people wondering what exactly you where doing out there."

Visions of _Achilles_ torn apart by batarian terrorist fleet came to mind, "I was doing my job Rissi."

"I know, I know, just saying that first your company-"

"The Alliance's front company."

"Yes, the Alliance's front company, gets disbanded, then you get a promotion, Cerberus shows up, well things are a bit frantic back here and when things get frantic politicians in and out of uniform look for scapegoats. And don't get me started on Anderson and Lawson."

The back of my neck stiffened, "What about them?"

She sighed, "You where there when Cerberus took Anderson and considering miss Lawson former ties, well...."

"Cerberus killed Anderson and Miranda is out of bounds, understood?" I said.

"All I'm saying is that things are getting dicey here. Lots of politics, lots of nervous Nellies looking for escape routes. I'll hold the fort here but you better watch your back, okay?" she said.

It was my turn to sigh, "I will, I always do. Thanks for the heads up Rissi."

"No problem, Arcturus out."


	36. Quisling

Derringer Missile Control Center, Javelin Launch Facility, Laputta Island, Chav Tropical Zone, Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, January 15, 2197

Utah disabled the magnetic lock. I pushed the doors open as quietly as possible.

"Hey Mike, have tried the Punga fruit yet?" asked one of the techs from behind his console.

"No Dave, I haven't,"answered a bored voice from the opposite side of the room.

I crept in behind Dave. Utah moved to the other side toward Mike. Pasha guarded the door. A large chronometer marked the time: 16:45:56 local or seven minutes to our target window.

"You should, it tastes better than our rations," said Dave.

"A bowl of live termites tastes better than our rations, Dave."

Dave never got a chance to respond. A tap from my electro-blade on the back of head took him out. Mike rose from his chair the moment he saw me but stopped the moment Utah pressed the barrel of his assault rifle to his temple.

"You, on the floor, now," said Pasha. Mike the Tech obeyed. Pasha slapped a pair of handcuffs on him and took his chair. "All silos loaded and ready for launch."

"Firewalls bypassed, I have control of all systems," said Utah. Symbols appeared on the main holo-projector. An icon showing a Cerberus cruiser in orbit across the planet moved toward a cone that extended from the ground. "Target entering optimal engagement zone in two minutes."

I checked my board, "All systems green here."

The cruiser crept closer to target area.

_Come on, come on, just a little closer._

"Target locked," said Utah.

"Initiate launch sequence," I said.

The bunker trembled. Thin trails of dust fell from the ceiling. Twenty Javelin mark fours roared from the silos into the sky. Each packed sixteen disruptor torpedoes. We tracked their course on holo. Past the planet's lower atmosphere, twenty arrow symbols broke into three-hundred and twenty. The cruiser's point defense system destroyed over a hundred but the other bore through. The remainder converged on the target. Seconds later it blinked out of existence.

"Target destroyed. Alliance forces engaging Cerberus forces. Cerberus forces disengaging. SSV _Kursk_ in pursuit," said Utah in his usual monotone. "Incoming transmission, Commander Thompson-Ramos. Source unknown."

"Patch it through."

"This is Stryker to Derringer, what the hell are you doing?"

An image came to mind of. An aquiline face topped with a pitiful blonde comb over sneering as Cerberus troops dragged Admiral Anderson away. Stryker was his _Nom de Guerre._ His real name was Alton Olsen, former police man, traitor to humanity, and Cerberus lapdog. Somehow he survived the invasion.

_He won't survive me._

I pressed the call button, "I'm coming for you, Alton."


	37. Torfan

Alliance Military Veteran Health Services, 1oth Floor Active Service Counseling, Vancouver Metroplex, United North American States, Earth, Sol System, Local Group, October 3, 2178

A few air cars flew past the window. Vancouver residents preferred ground transports over shuttles. It gave the city an air of quaintness.

"Are we ready to begin?" asked Dr. Cohen. Two steaming cups of what passed for coffee around this parts laid on the coffee table. Dr. Cohen chair was on one end of the table. I sat down on the chair empty chair on the opposite side. "Good. Now what can you tell me about Torfan."

I knew the drill. Alliance regs dictated that all personnel engaged in prolonged combat ops had to undergo a psych evaluation. Either the good doc checked the box marked "Fit for duty" or my military career was over. I threw up a wall of jargon in the hope he saw a professional ready to get back to work. The first crack on the wall appeared on the third session.

"They weaponized them," I said.

Dr. Cohen put down the stylus, "They gave their captives weapons?"

"No doc, they _weaponized them,_ their slaves. Sometimes they booby trapped dead bodies, but mostly they would cut open their slaves, jam as many explosives as they could and them left them for us to find. That was how Hayase and Clark bought it."

_Clark steped closer to the abandoned slave. The kid must have been thirteen, fourteen at the most. He scanned the him with his omni-tool. The explosions ripped the pour soul apart and blasted through Clarks and Hayase kinetic barriers. There was much of them left after that.  
_

Things went down hill from there. Two weeks later we talked about the maidens.

"The place was massive. Hundreds of kilometers of tunnels carved out by some ancient civilization. We found traces of eezo, so I'm guessing that it might have been the Protheans. Nobody bothered to do a proper geological survey. The thing was that it was an entire underground city. It had markets, residential areas, you name it. It was run by batarians but they were not the only ones there," I finished my second cup of coffee. "There was this krogan who...he specialized in asari maidens. And I mean maiden in the human sense. They were not just young, they were unspoiled." My stomach churned, "The bastard, well, he thought he could take us on. A dozen incendiary rounds proved him wrong."

Week eleven was our last session before the Christmas break. A light dusting of snow covered the city. People packed the streets. No holiday carols pierced the gloom atmosphere of Cohen's office.

"Then the word came down. I don't know who gave the order and I doubt you'll find any record of it, it was word of mouth, but we heard it none the less," I said through clenched teeth.

Cohen leaned back on his chair,"What was the order?"

"Kill'em all, every last one of them. And we did just that. We forgot about liberating slaves or taking prisoners. First the demo teams set off neutron charges to wipe the place clean. Then came the nukes to collapse the tunnels in case somebody survived the radiation pulse. And the fleet sealed the deal with a massive bombardment from orbit. They even brought in a dreadnought. Nobody was left alive, nobody." I stood up and made my way to the window, "I'm sure some would say the bastards deserved it. I certainly didn't give a damn. But I should have, I should have said...something."

"I doubt the word of a junior officer would have carried a lot of weight, lieutenant," said Cohen.

"Doesn't matter, doc. It was wrong. When the word came out it stopped being about them.. We were wrong doc, we were dead wrong."


	38. Capitol

Seventh Floor Our Lady of Hope Hospital, New Bristol Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, February 15, 2197

I rounded the corner of the stairwell and collided with a Cerberus trooper. I parried his rifle barrel with my own then stabbed him deep in the belly with my omini-blade. The trooper crumbled. The one behind the first fired two shots into my shoulder. I slammed back into the wall. It felt like someone had driven a hot nail through my shoulder blade. Sargent Torque poked his rifle around the corner and fired two long burst. The second trooper slid down the stairs with a grunt. A pool of blood spread beneath the pile of dead troopers on the stairwell landing.

Torque knelt beside me, "Let me have a look."

I waved him off, "Go, get to the roof."

"It will only take a second, sir," said Torque. The pain resided as the omini-gel took hold. "Better now?"

"I'm fine," I said. It still ached but there was no crack in the armor or an entry wound. I dusted my self up and bounded up the stairs to the roof. More marines came behind us. Fire teams split off at every floor. Sounds of explosions and gunfire reverberated throughout the building accompanied by shouts for, "Grenade."

On the roof I unpacked my Black Widow sniper rifle and took a firing position orientated to the capitol building in the center of the city. Torque did the same with his spotter scope and comm equipment. A large cupola divided the roof in the flat roof in to large sections. A flock of friendly drones exchanged fire with enemy automated turrets on the building's windows.

I activated my comm, "Saber One is in position."

"What took you so long, Saber One?" asked Colonel Puller the commander of the 65th regiment.

"Ran into a few puppies on the way up. Delta company is cleaning the kennels as we speak," I said.

"Understood Saber One. What's the target status?" asked the Colonel.

I examined the scene through the rifle's scope. Aside from the turrets there were no other enemy activity, not even the shimmer of cloaked units, "Roof access clear."

"Then light 'em up commander," said the Colonel.

"Saber One to Saber units, verify targets," I said over the comm net.

"Saber Two, targets verified and locked."

"Saber Three, targets verified and locked.

Torque, eyes on the ranger finder, nodded.

"Saber One, targets verified and locked," I said.

"All targets verified. Raptor Force you are green to engage," said the Air Coordinator.

Five kilometers back, three Mantis gunship popped from cover and fired missile volleys at the capitol building. Each volley, guided by their respective forward observers, entered through the targeted windows and exploded in the rooms within. Clouds of debris erupted across the building.

"That's a hit," I said.

"Manatee One and Two, move in," said the Air Coordinator.

Two shuttles flew below us and hovered a meter of the roof. Two dozen marines jumped from the shuttles to the roof below. They rappelled down the building. Thunder erupted in the streets as a platoon of Elcor, with heavy guns on their backs, opened fired on the capitol. Several APCs raced forward. One backed into the main entrance. More marines climbed through the ground floor windows. An occasional flash illuminated the interior. Two more shuttles dropped a second wave of marines. Within minutes the fight was over. A pair marines raised the planetary flag, a red dragon and lion rampant holding a white star against a yellow background.

I stood up and looked around. New Bristol was secure but a month of fighting transformed the one vibrant colonial capital into a smoking hollowed out carcass.

_Old Wellington was right. Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won._


	39. Fire Mission

Camp Kendrick, 55 km Southeast of the Ebon Mountains, Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, April 2, 2197

Admiral Landry, Colonel Puller and I stood around the holo table as reports of Operation Ocelot collapse came over the radio, "This is Sierra-4, we are under fire---enemy closing in---perimeter---heavy jamming-"

Cerberus waited until the shuttles landed to open fire with well positioned artillery dug deep into the mountain side. The same artillery and anti-aircraft systems that survived an hour long orbital bombardment.

"No contact with Sierra 1 through 3, ma'am," said the Tech Sergeant.

"Do we have a visual?" asked Puller.

"Enemy shut down all our drones, SSV Boston coming over head. Imagery coming through," said the sergeant. A holographic window opened. It showed the overhead image of the Ebon Mountains from orbit. The image zoomed in onto Sierra-4's position. Marines clustered around a downed shuttle. Enemy fire came at them from all directions. One marine cradled the body of the pilot, head split open.

"They are---turrets---boxing us in---ready for another push--" one of the marines collapsed, "snipers--Roeden is down-"

My skin crawled. Fear crept in, fear born out of frustration, out of a creeping sense of failure. The plan fell apart. Losses mounted. It was one thing to be in the thick of it, to be able to do something, anything, but I stood there, a mere bystander, arms crossed, impotent. The memories came unbidden.

_Achilles reports an imminent eezo core meltdown._

_Agamemnon's main battery and thrusters are off line._

"Boston unable to provide fire support. They say their circular error probability of their broadside is too large, Wait one, elcor heavy weapons platoon moving into position," said the sergeant.

A monotone voice came over the comm, "With utmost haste. We are on our way."

The elcor moved toi slow. It was in their nature as creatures that evolved in a heavy gravity world where a single slip could shatter bones.

"How about getting some gunships in there?" I asked

Puller looked up from the holo, "The area is too hot."

"Elcor platoon in position. Firing," said the sergeant.

"Do we have the location of the enemy artillery," asked Landry.

"Estimated positions only, ma'am," said the sergeant.

"Have Boston counter-battery those positions. Launch the evac shuttles," said Landry.

Fountains of dirt erupted around Sierra-4's position. Each shot obliterated a clump of Cerberus forces. The others retreated back into their holes. The elcor lifted their barrage seconds before the evacuation shuttles swooped into the landing zone. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The losses estimate came in half an hour later. Four shuttles lost, five gunships shot down, forty-two marines and navy crewmen gone. I walked outside to stare at the midday sun. Striker was somewhere deep inside the mountain. Did he think he could escape his fate? How many lives was he willing to throw away to avoid the inevitable? To a coward like him it didn't matter.

"You chose your bed and I am going to bury you in it," I muttered under my breath as I walked out of the command tent.


	40. Stryker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle for Chav draws to a close. Theo is determined to see it to its end.

Inside the Ebon Mountain Range, Chav, Landam System, Crescent Nebula, May 1, 2197

The thick stone walls shook with the thunder of explosions and the clatter of automatic fire. Grenadiers pumped shots into entrenched enemies. Often the the fighting dissolved into vicious hand to hand combat as Phantoms decloaked in the middle of the a squad of marines. Mono-filament swords clashed with omni-blades. It took several soldiers to overcome every single assassin that struck from the shadows.

"Move forward!" I yelled over the din of battle.

Cerberus attempted to raise another barrier under the cover of sniper fire, but Vega mowed them down with his Vindicator before they could set it up. The narrow corridor opened up into a large room, fifty meters square. Rows of cloning tanks lined the walls. Blasted opened by explosives they spilled their contents to the floor below. Piles of bodies, scarred with cybernetics, littered the floor in pools of dark blood mixed with thick nutrient fluid. On top of them were dead Cerberus soldiers, each one compelled to fight to the last by Reaper indoctrination. I dove behind one of those piles as sniper fire rained down from the rafters. Wet thuds marked the impact of the enemy rounds on the corpses.

Miranda dropped down beside me, "Transmitters are in place."

"Good to know that our rear is secure. Remind me to kiss you for bringing those indoctrination jammers along, Miranda." She shook her head. Pasha, Utah, you're up," I said.

"Acknowledged commander Thompson-Ramos," said Utah over the radio.

A pair of orange globes fired rockets as they climbed toward their targets. I tracked them through the scope of my rifle. One by one the blasted the enemy sharpshooters from the cubbyholes.

"Let's go," I said.

Past the room we entered a labyrinth of passage ways that connected to the heart of the complex. Labs, offices, simulators, kitchens, storage areas, all that was needed to support a modern army. Each became a battlefield of upturned tables, shattered glass, and bullet riddle walls, decorated liberally by liters of blood spatter. The battle turned into a rolling wave of death as both sides fed more soldiers into the fighting.

At the end of a long hallway a squad of Ceberus troopers entrenched behind a shield projector. The moment they spotted us they hurled grenades at us. Miranda raised a faint blue biotic bubble around us. Fragments pinged the barrier. She took it down and fired a long burst down the hall. Another grenade landed at her feet.

I pushed her aside, "Look out."

The explosion blasted my kinetic barrier apart. Hot fragments ripped into my right leg. Pasha, Vega and Utah walked passed me and unleashed barrage of fire that silenced the enemy position.

"Stay still dammit," said Miranda as she applied medigel to the wound. The anesthetic eased the pain, but the shrapnel stung when I moved. "We need a medevac," she said.

"No."

"Take it easy jefe, will mop up, don't worry about it," said Vega.

"I said, no. Utah, help me up," I ordered. The geth pulled me back up to my feet. "Let's go."

Utah and Vega pried open the door at the end of the hallway. Inside stood Alton Olsen, code name Stryker, in a crisp Ceberus uniform, with long gold braids that looped down from the shoulder boards. He ran a hand through his thin blond hair. Tiny blue irises peered through the dark bags under his eyes.

He managed a timid smile, "So, you finally made it, and you brought the raven haired turncoat with you." I handed my rifle to Vega and activated my electro-blade. "Now, I know the last time we saw each other it was a bit tense, but surely we can let bygones be bygones." I walked toward him each. "What happened to Anderson was, I mean is, regrettable, but it was beyond my control." I took another step. "The Illusive Man needed a bargaining chip, something to convince the Reapers that he was on their side." Electricity arched along the edge of the omni-blade. "They told me it was the bet way, the only way to end the war."

"Jefe," said Vega somewhere behind me.

Pain shot up my leg with every step. I smashed the flat of the blade on his face. Olsen grabbed his cheek as he fell down. The smell of burned flesh filled my nostrils.

I grabbed him by the collar, "You are going to live, Olsen. You are going to face trial for treason. Treason against humanity, treason against every sentient being in the galaxy. Then they are going to throw you in the darkest cell they can find, but I'll make sure they keep you alive for the next century or so as a reminder to the galaxy that nobody fucks with me. Take him away."


	41. Family

Apartment A-1245, Presidium, Citadel, Widow, Serpent Nebula, May 13, 2197

I looked around the room. Oriana and Pasha tucked in a corner, their arms linked. Jack pestered Vega to get out of the kitchen. Miranda and Brynn Taylor talked on the sofa. David Taylor, Brynn and Jacob's younger son stared up at Utah's shiny silver chassis while her older sister, Jane engaged Naera in the sort of conversation steep in the deep wisdom that only children can muster.

_Almost everyone._

Galeena was on Ker'shan helping the batarians take their world back and Rodan had gone missing in action over a week ago. His chances of survival shrunk with each passing day. Behind enemy lines he faced capture, injury and for a turian that could not consume the local food, starvation. The there was Helena.

_I can’t wear her memory like a talisman. She was a person, whole and full, before I met her and until the day she died. She was…and that is all that really matters._

I cleared my throat. All eyes in the room turned on me, "Ladies, gentlemen and synthetics, thank you for being here today. Now this the part where I say that I not good at speeches--"

"Come on already," shouted Jack. The others laughed.

"Right, not good at speeches, blah, blah, blah. The thing is I've been thinking a lot of the past, about events that have," I glanced a little Naera, "marked all of us, in one way or the other. But one can not dwell in the past, one can only live in the present and work for the future. So," I took out a handkerchief from my breast pocket, placed it at Miranda's feet, and bent down on one knee, "without much further ado."

Miranda's lips trembled, "Theo...what are you doing?"

I took out the little box from my pocket, "Miranda will you marry me?"

Jane and Naera let out loud twin squeals of delight.

Miranda whispered, "Yesss...."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Oh get up!" I did as ordered, "I said yes, dammit!"

She buried her face on mychest. I held her tight. For the first time in a long time the tears came, unbidden.

Vega raised his glass, "Que vivan los novios!"

Naera rushed forward, "That makes you Titi Miranda, right?"

Miranda looked down at my blue angel of a nice, "I guess so."

"Excuse me Commander Thompson-Ramos," said Utah.

I blinked away the tears,"What is it Utah?"

"Message from Ker'shan, it is Major Galeena T'iala. She wished to inform us that they retrieved Group Captain Rodan Quintus. She states that he is malnourished and dehydrated but otherwise functional," he said.

"Well, I'll guess we will have to add them list," I said.

Miranda buried her head back on my shoulder, "Shut up, just...."

"I know, I know....."


	42. Thabisa

Parliamentary Conference Room 3, New Arcturus Station, Arcturus, Arcturus Stream, May 21, 2197

Chairman Thu Van Thieu slammed the gavel down,"We will take a fifteen minute break."

I went to a corner of the room to answer the dozens of messages on my omni-tool:

<Oriana@LawsonLTD.net-Subject: Revision of Quest List>

<Oriana@LawsonLTD.net-Subject: Navy Dress Blues or Black Tux?>

<Oriana@LawsonLTD.net-Subject: New Sitting Arrangements>

<Oriana@LawsonLTD.net-Subject: Local Aerobatic Squadron Requesting a Flyby in Miranda's Honor>

Oriana had taken over the wedding planning with a vengeance. Everything had to be perfect, which I had no doubt they would be since there was a Lawson in charge. I joked that the wedding was all about Miranda and that she didn't need to consult the special guest of honor for anything except to make sure my butt would be where and when she needed it to be. She just glared at me with a stare strong enough to melt steel beams. I cycled through the rest of the messages.

<Galeena@Extramail.com-Subject: Rodan Back in Service>

_Good._

<TheHotSpot.com- Subject: Top Game Scores of the Week>

<DonellyG@AllianceNavy.gov-Subject: She is still in space dock>

I opened the last message. It came from the Tyr Shipyards were the Alliance worked on the _Kursk_ post shakedown cruise. She outperformed all expectations. Now the Alliance wanted to investigate her every nook and cranny to apply the lessons of the cruise to the other ships of her class. It would take several months to put her back together again.

_And I may never see her again._

<BadAssWeekly@BekensteinNews.net-Subject: The Top Ten Snipers of the Last Century>

"Excuse me, commander," said a voice over my shoulder.

Nomusa Cele, representative for the Union of African States, towered over me. Her stolid presence dominated the room but there was grief in her dark eyes.

"What can I do for you minister?" I asked.

"It's about my daughter Thabisa and the Battle of the Imri Relay," she said.

Images of exploding ships flashed through my mind, "What about it?"

"I want to know what happened?"

"Wasn't the committee brief on it?"

"Only selected members of the committee were briefed, commander," she said.

"I...I see. I'm sorry minister, there is nothing I can do about it. Not without violating my oath to the Alliance and about a dozen or more laws in process," I said.

He wide shoulders slumped, "Commander, this is my daughter we are talking about. There was no body to bury. All I got was a letter and some credits." No state funerals, no taps, no folded flags or honor guard. No three-volley salutes that pierced the calm of the grave. In the Alliance eyes only sailors and marines deserved full military honors. Mercenaries did not qualify. "I have run out of options, except for information brokers and they are not reliable."

"No, they are not an option. They would either swindle you for every credit you have or exploit you for information on the Alliance," I paused for a second, "Minister, what exactly do you plan to do with this information?"

"I need to know the truth, commander. The public needs to know as well. I know why they promoted you, commander. They wanted to ease you out the service with a cushy commission on a prestigious post," she said.

"I figured as much. Too bad Cerberus had other plans." I tapped on my omni-tool, "Technically, by which I mean literally, this is still a violation of my oath to the Alliance but to hell with it. If am going out I might as well do it right."

Her omni-tool lit up, "Whose this?"

"Someone who was there from the beginning. Since they are not Alliance they might tell you exactly what you need to know."

"Thank you commander," she said with half smile.

And committee aide approached us, "Minister, commander, the session is about start."

Minister Cele nodded, "Thank you," the she turned to me, "I noticed you don't have legal council."

"Didn't know I need one," I said perplexed.

"You do commander, you do. Good day and good luck."


	43. Testimony

Parliamentary Conference Room 3, New Arcturus Station, Arcturus, Arcturus Stream, June 4, 2197

Two weeks passed since the beginning of the hearings into Thompson-Ramos Security. A two week long parade of military officers, civilian officials and experts that spouted reams of dry data and engaged in much navel gazing. Each speaker sought to give the blandest answers to the most innocuous questions, careful not to give the other side an opening for a political attack or score points in the court of public opinion. Then came my turn. Commander Rissi Montoya sat beside me as my legal counsel on the witness table. Several committee members asked me about my time with T-R Security, my views on the current situation in the Traverse/Terminus region, and about the stability of human holdings therein.

Committee chairman Thu Van Thieu came last, "Commander, this committee has analyzed every piece of relevant data related to the financing and operations of one Thompson-Ramos Security, which you lead as," he made an air quotes gesture, "as a colonel. You ostensibly did all of this for a decade under orders of the Alliance Military, correct?"

"Yes chairman, that is correct," I said.

"Yet, in the last two weeks we have heard nor seen evidence that you were aware of the massive military presence of the terrorist group known as Cerberus, correct?"

"No one picked up on the Cerberus presence," I said.

"So you admit that you failed in your mission to protect Alliance interest in the region?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"I would not catalog our operations in the region as a failure. We stopped or derailed a dozen of pirate raids, enhanced the defenses of multiple colonies and helped stabilized the region," I said.

"Stabilized the region? How stable is a region where a batarian mercenary group can launch a successful bombing raid in broad daylight that lead to the deaths of some of the most important business leaders in Alliance space?"

"Chairman-"

"How many raids did you stop before engaging in a intimate relationship with Cerberus former second in command?"

"Excuse me?"

Rissi put a hand on my forearm and whispered in my ear, "Easy tiger."

I cleared my throat, "I fail to see the relevance of my personal life to the subject at hand,"

"The relevance? The relevance is that you failed, commander. You failed to detect a massive Cerberus force to grown under your nose. You failed to stop it from launching an rebellion in a key world in the Terminus systems which cost nearly five hundred Alliance lives and countless more lives of the people of Chav? So, I ask again, what exactly were you doing out there, commander?"

Minister Cele spoke up in a deep and clear voice, "Minister, he and my daughter were saving lives."

Thieu slammed the gavel, "The Minister from the African Union already had her turn."

Unperturbed she continued, "A little over a year ago, a joint turian/human force stopped a batarian terrorist fleet at the Imri relay. Said fleet was armed with a deadly biological agent designed to kill humans. In said battle, many lives were lost, including the life of my daughter and in the process saved thousands if not millions of humans lives."

Thieu banged the gavel repeatedly, "That is not within the purview of these hearings."

"Why not, minister? You asked what exactly I was doing in the last ten years and Minister Cele just provided the answer," I said.

"You are out of order! The minister's words will be stricken from the record! The media will leave the room immediately!"

Thieu continued to issue a stream of orders while abusing his gavel to the breaking point. A dozen auto-cams captured every bead of sweat on his forehead, every drop of spittle that flew of his mouth, and my nod to Minister Cele.


	44. Wedding

Lawson Family Lodge, Bald Mountains, 18km Southwest of Discovery, Horizon, Iera System, Shadow Sea, August 10, 2197

'"Ready?" asked Ricky.

I tugged at the hem of the tux, "Sure."

"If I didn't know any better I would say you are extremely calm and collected today," he said.

"But you know better, don't you?"

"Of course, you are a nervous wreck, Teo. Relax, everything will be fine."

"This is the part were my best man makes a list of all the wonderful things about today that are sure to lead to inevitable disaster."

"I will do no such thing," he said with a smirk.

"Gracias a Dios!"

"Besides marriage is the kind of thing that if you do it right you only have to do it once."

"Primo, that is comforting, oh so very comforting," I said.

He lifted a finger, "That's what family and best men are for."

Ricky picked up the conversation in the car, "So what's really bothering you?"

"I just want this to go right, but...."

"But what?"

"But I haven't really done anything. Oriana just did everything, perfectly I may add, except for security. Jacob took care of that," I said.

"And here you are, sitting on your hands and watching the world go by," he said.

"Pretty much."

"You gotta stop being such a control freak."

Lake Katarn came into view, "I know how to delegate," I said.

"Not the same. In order to delegate you have be in charge, but this time around, you're not." He turned to me, "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"And that is exactly what you're going to say when priest asks you if take her as your wife, go it?"

"I'm supposed to say, 'I do'", I said.

Ricky clasped my shoulder, "There you go. And by the way, primo, I got your back."

The car landed on the church parking lot. Inside witnesses crowded in the pews. Gran waved at me from the front pew. Grandad nodded as I took my place.

_Mom and that should have been here. It is their day too. Dad would have welled up, for sure. He never got the Thompson's stiff upper lip. And mom, would have patted his hand, because that was what moms do. God, I miss you._

"Primo are you alright?" whispered Ricky.

I shook my head, "I'm fine."

"There she comes," said Oriana.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't see her come in. The wedding march kick in. The guest stood in attention. Down the aisle came the bride in a brilliant white dress her face covered by a veil, escorted by Admiral Shepard in impeccable dress blues. Naera carried Miranda's train. She wore a matching white outfit with yellow ribbon around her waist. Prayers were made, people stood up, people sat down, hymns were sung and vows were exchanged, rings were placed in the appropriate fingers and nobody showed up to oppose the wedding at the last second.

Then the priest said, "You may kiss the bride."

I lifted the veil and the sight of her face took my breath away. I stood there, transfixed for the longest second by her deep blue eyes. A moment of unimaginable joy suspended in time and space.

She whispered, "Breath Theo."

I took a deep breath and I kissed her. A short sweet kiss that welcomed a new life together.


	45. Honeymoon

Star Set Bungalow, Stenier Resort, Sagan Bay, Bekenstein, Serpent Nebula, August 24, 2197

The afternoon sun bathed the bay in soft orange light. The edge of the pool merged with the horizon. It was an illusion but one that encourage the eye to wonder away to where the ocean kissed the sky. Miranda rested on her chest in the lounge pool chair, black  and silver one piece bikini stripped to the waist. A bottle of lotion and a empty cocktail glass laid on the ground beside her.

She pointed down at them, "Theo...."

"Refill and a retouch?" I asked.

"Yeah...."

"Coming right up," I said.

A quick trip to the bungalow's kitchen solved the drink situation. I handed her a Piña Colada and got to work. The lotion smelled of equal parts cocoa, coconut and vanilla. I started on the nape of her neck and worked my way down. Pressed down a finger underneath her shoulder blade, then two followed the palm of the hand in a circular motion. My fingers explored every contour, danced on every muscle. caressed every section of her soft skin.

"Mmmm..." she murmured.

I rubbed more lotion on my hands, "I was good to see Galeena and Rodan again, not to mention Coats. Funny thing is, when I on T-RS I missed being a marine, and now that I'm back with the Alliance I miss T-RS."

"Uhumm"

"You're not listening, are you?"

"Mmmm."

"So, what about dinner? Shall we order in, go out or I whip something up?"

"I'm not doing the dishes again."

"So you are listening, Mrs. Thompson."

"Always, Mr. Lawson."

I knead her lower back then traced circles with my thumbs. A beep sounded somewhere inside the house.

"Oh, oh," I said.

"What is it?" Miranda asked.

"A message got through the VI filters. I'll see who it is."

I went straight for the comm console. It was a priority message from the Alliance.

 

> URGENT REQUEST
> 
> From: Councilor Chen Wei-Len
> 
> Apologies for cutting your leave short, Commander, but you are needed on the Citadel as soon as possible. Come with full kit plus dress blues.  Sorry that I could not attend the wedding. Heard it was a blast. Expect you here shortly.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Chen Wei-Len (Ambassador)

Miranda looked over my shoulder, "And we had one day left."

"That we had. We will grab something to eat on the way," I said.


	46. Spectres

Human Councilor's Office, Human Embassies, The Presidium, The Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula, August 25, 2197

 

The C-Sec security team finished their sweep of the office.

"All clear, Councilor," said the C- Sec team leader.

"Thank you," replied Councilor Wei-Len.

"Can't be too careful these days," I said as the door closed behind the C-Sec officers.

"Not after what happened to you the last time, Commander. Congratulations, it is good to have another human in the Spectres, although I expected more than a sentence about it in the news," the Councilor said with a grimace.

"I had my fill of the press in the last year. Besides the first quarian Spectre is more newsworthy than the third human Spectre," I said.

"They earned it," she pressed a button on her desk. A holographic image of a planet floated before us. "Commander, have you heard about the colony of Libertas?"

"Human colony in the Traverse not officially affiliated with the Systems Alliance and ruled by a charismatic religious autocrat," I said.

"That is just the tip of the iceberg. Between three to five hundred thousand years ago, dozens of comets rained down on the surface of the planet. The pattern and number of strikes seemed to suggest some sort of deliberate planetary bombardment except that no traces of civilization were found by the geological surveys," she said.

"Quick and dirty terraforming then?"

"That was the experts conclusion, that and that the primitive plant life on the surface came from a half a dozen worlds in the Argos Rho cluster. Again, without any significant traces of civilization it was hard to tell what happened to the race that tried to terraform Libertas, but they succeeded," the image changed into an yellowish crystal,"Not only that, they seeded the planet with millions of impact diamonds, the largest deposits in Citadel space."

"So? It's not diamonds are hard to come by these days. Any competent lab could whip up a batch of them at a very low price," I said.

"Yes, if you're looking to make jewelry or for industrial uses that have very specific tolerances, however," the image changed again, this time it split in two, one showed the silhouette of a Alliance fighter, the other a frigate of the _Normandy_ class, "the Alliance is seeking to ramp up production of new warships. Fifteen new _Normandy_ class frigates are under construction, over a hundred more missile armed non-stealth frigates are under order and the Alliance expects to field over ten thousands new fighters by the end of this decade. The turians ordered three times as many and all of them will be equipped with Silas alloy armor. We are going to need a lot of diamonds to fill those orders in time."

"Are they refusing to sell to the Alliance?" I asked.

"No," the display changed again. It showed the face of a Slavic woman in her late fifties, "However, the recent arrival of one Alana Petrova, until recently the CFO of Weyland-Yutani, has complicated matters."

"The company that went to war with Czerka over the loss of colony," I said.

"Correct. Now she has insuunited herselft into the Lord Magistrate's court. Our sources indicate that she has invested billions of credits in local businesses and donated the rest to church run charities in exchange for protection from Alliance law."

"And that is where a newly minted human Spectre comes in."

"We need you to bring Ms. Petrova to Alliance justice without endangering the trade negotiations between the Alliance and the Magistrate," she said.

"Understood."

"Good. There is a ship waiting for you in Bay H-14, the crew has been briefed on the mission." She shook my hand, "Good luck, Commander."

I walked out of the office and to the elevator that lead to H-14. A salarian put his hand on the door before it closed.

"Excuse me. Going down?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Great." The doors closed behind him, "You are the new human Spectre, correct."

"And you are?"

"Just a messenger, Commander," he said.

"Really? From who?"

"From someone who would simply like you to consider all your options before you move to collect your prize," said the salarians, his eyes focused on the elevator doors.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You see there are other parties involved in the current situation and they would like to meet you," he pressed a code sequence on his omni-tool, "Meet their representative on this location on Libertas capital. And if you need to verify this information, please give this comm channel code to the lovely Mrs. Lawson." The doors opened, "Good day, Spectre, and good hunting."

The salarian exited the elevator and vanished  into a crowd of dock workers, passengers and C-Sec security. Before me was the familiar shape of the SSV _Kursk_  SR-3. A whistle sounded the moment my foot touched the inner airlock.

"Attention on deck!" shouted Navigator Johnson, "Council Spectre on board."

The crew stood in attention on both sides of the aisle.

"At ease," I said.

Johnson stepped forward, "The crew is ready and awaiting your orders, sir."

"Set a course for the Argos Rho cluster," I said.

"Aye aye, sir."


	47. Speakeasy

Bailey & Willingham Metal Works,  3rd Factory District, Capitol City of Progress, Libertas, Sphinx System, Argos Rho Cluster, Attican Traverse September 6, 2197

Our footsteps echoed through the abandoned factories. The moonlight from Libertas five small moons filtered through the broken glass panes above us. Broken robot arms lay dormant on both sides of  the empty production line. The industrial decay clashed with Miranda's blue sequin dress and my silver trimmed black tux. But something was amiss.

"Not a single speck of dust," I said.

"I noticed. They probably employ maintenance drones to keep it that way," Miranda said.

I nodded, "Talking of which."

A blue spherical drone flew in our direction. It spoke after it scanned us, "Mrs. Lawson, Mr. Thompson-Ramos, please come this way."

We followed the drone to a cargo elevator at the back of the factory. The elevator took us down several levels underneath the factory floor. As the doors opened a mixture of dance music and clatter of dozens of Quasar machines washed over us. Scantly clad waiters and waitresses walked pass with trays full of drinks. Above us dancers performed in floating platforms made of clear glass. Every single sinful activity the local government regulated or outlawed was on display.

A  human hostess approached us, "Mrs. Lawson, Mr. Thompson-Ramos, Ms. Nyte is waiting for you in the Velvet Lounge. Come right this way." She led us past rows of Quasar machines, a security door flanked by batarian bouncers and into a small room painted in deep purple. A few scented candles, one per table, lit the interior. The thick walls thrummed with the music from outside. A woman dressed in a black rhinestone studded dress stood up to greet us.

"Mrs. Lawson, Commander Thompson-Ramos, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," she said with an outstretched hand.

Miranda shook her hand, "Nyte?"

"Anonymity has its benefits, Miranda. Most of the people I knew from the old days, well, they are no longer with us, but...I'm working for a for a better cause these days," Nyte said.

"I take it you two know each other?" I asked.

Miranda winced, "Yes she was one of my assets when I worked for Cerberus." I put my hand over hers and smiled. "So, what are you doing here, Nyte?"

"Doing what needs to be done Miranda and that is why I needed to talk to the Spectre," she said.

"I'm listening."

Nye slid a datapad across the table, "We are well aware of your mission here, but there are a few things you should know before you attempt to retrieve your target, commander." It showed a picture of Alana Petrova surrounded by a squad of body guards. "To get to her you're going to need help. Our help."

"And why should I work with you?" I asked.

"Do you know what the Lord Magistrate does with his political enemies?" she asked.

"Execute them?"

"If only. He declares them heretics, and under current Libertian law, heretics are outlaws, with none of the protections or rights guaranteed by  the Systems Alliance or the Citadel Council. And when that happens you stop being a person and become a thing. A thing to be used or sold as your owners see fit."

My disgust dripped from every syllable, "Slavery."

"Dissidents are sold to off-world slavers. A neat way to dispose of them with the added benefit that all profits going to the Lord Magistrates coffers," Nyte said.

A not so little detail the ambassador forgot to include in the mission brief. Which meant either the Alliance didn't know, or worse, it didn't care. It also showed that Nyte had done her homework. I've worked with batarian abolitionist before....

I glanced back at the entrance, "You're a Chainbreaker." And the Chainbrakers were number eight in the Citadel list of top ten terrorist organizations.

Miranda chimed in, "I trust her, commander. And besides, Spectres do what they must to get the job done."

A wry smile appeared on Nyte's deep red lips, "Like working with human supremacist groups to stop attacks on human colonies or cooperate with well known crime lords to enlist mercenary gangs to fight a galactic war."

_Fuck!_

"My mission has nothing to do with you or any other illegal activities on this world," I said in a deadpan tone.

"True but," she raised a finger" any attempt to extract Miss Petrova will harm our operations here. I want to avoid that, at all costs. If that means working with a Spectre, then so be it," Nyte said with her eyes locked on me.

She knew how to push my buttons. I looked down at the datapad, "Can I keep this?"

"Of course," Nyte said.

"Nyte, if you don't mind, the commander and I would like to take our leave to explore this wonderful club of yours," Miranda said.

"Of course, you are my guests. The datapad has one time only comm number on it if you decide to cooperate with us. And no, you are under no obligation to work with us. If you decide to continue without our assistance we will not interfere. Things are complicated enough without having a Spectre as an enemy," she said as we got up.

Outside we sat at one of the bars and ordered drinks. The datapad had little information except the photo and Petrova's bio. But there was something about that image that looked familiar. I pulled the mission brief on my omni-tool, then sent a copy of it and data on the pad to Miranda.

"This is the same picture," she said.

"One zoomed in on Petrova face, the other zoomed back to show her entourage. Look at the time stamp on the Alliance file," I said.

"Zero eight, twenty-third, twenty-one seventy," she said.

I took a long pull from my _Mentirita_ , "Exactly. Which means our friends here leaked that information to the Alliance."

"Could be," she said.

"Do you trust her?"

Her blues eyes sparkled, "She help me find Oriana. I owe her."

"Well then, this mission just got a lot more interesting."


	48. Gehenna

Gehenna Desert,  Libertas, Sphinx System, Argos Rho Cluster, Attican Traverse September 10, 2197

Miranda, Nyte and myself laid on our bellies atop an outcrop that overlooked the vast chalky expanse of the Gehenna Desert. It took seventy millions years to turn the caldera of a volcano the size of the western Mediterranean into a vast salty dead zone with temperatures at around sixty degrees Celsius. Luckily our hardsuits kept the heat and the salt at bay.

"So...married," said Nyte over the comm.

"Yes, married," deadpanned Miranda.

"I never expected The Viper to settle down," said Nyte

"The Viper?" I asked

"That was her nickname when we worked for Cerberus."

"Let me guess. It was because of her sharp and venomous tongue," I said.

"Yes and yes, commander."

Miranda jumped in, "Excuse me?"

"Well she has mellowed out a bit. She will only snap your head off you really earned it," I said.

"I'll have you know that-"

The Black Widow scope cut through the heat haze that shrouded the flat desert valley. "Inbound convoy from the north east at five clicks and closing."

Nyte voice turned cold, "That must be our targets."

The convoy kicked up clouds of white chalky salt.

"Fifteen vehicle convoy. Total of five technicals, one in the lead, second in the middle, third in the rear, with the last two riding the flanks. No air cover or additional vehicles."

"As expected. Team One, stand by," said Nyte.

I swung the scope over to a cluster of prefabs two kilometers away. Figures moved into position for the ambush.

"So what is the cargo?" I asked.

"Political prisoners enslaved via implanted control chips to be sold off world," said Nyte matter-of-factly.

"Ten two-tons trucks as people carriers that makes for about one-hundred and eighty total," I said.

"And that is just the first load, they will keep them on location until they have enough to ship off-world," said Nyte.

"How many?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Two to three more shipments," Nyte said. The convoy pulled up to the cluster of of prefabs. "Team One, engage." Missiles streaked down on to the lead, rear and flanking technicals. The explosions tore them apart. The drivers of the other vehicles panicked and tried to flee, some of foot others by ramming the burning wreckage. A hail of gunfire cut them down. "I want a casualty report," ordered Nyte over the comm.

"All guards eliminated, a few wounded among the prisoners, no deaths. Applying medigel now," came the response from Team One.

A sonic boom cracked above our heads. The Kowloon class freighter came in at a steep angle, circled low over the area and landed near the buildings. The loading ramp lowered and Team One drove the surviving trucks into the freighter. The freighter took off the moment the last truck cleared the ramp.

Nyte got up, "So what do you think, Commander?"

"Your people have discipline but the enemy was sloppy," I said.

"True. But if that won't last if you go after the Lord Magistrate's inner circle. At least if you do openly," Nyte said.

"I see what you mean. Got any suggestions?"

"A few," Nyte said as she walked back to the air car.


	49. Watcher

He exhaled a long plume of cigarette smoke. He smoked because he predecessor smoked. He sat in the chair in an empty office because that was what he predecessor did. He read from data pads and watched information through a dozen holo displays because that was how he did it. He could have streamed the information through his neural network, Yet, inexplicably, he enjoyed to simulate his forebears affectations down to the attractive female assistant that brought him another data pad to read.

She handed him the data pad, "The report on Avernus station, sir."

"Thank you Caroline," he said. Caroline turned to leave, "Caroline, what is your assessment of the report."

Caroline stood in attention, "Your counterpart made several crucial errors."

"Such as?"

"One, relying on batarian support. They are unreliable even in the best of times. Two, attempting to assassinate Commander Thompson-Ramos. Even if it had succeeded he has powerful friends that would have investigated his death and that would have led directly to us. Three, poor operational security created a easy trail for Thompson and his team to follow. Four, the use of Avernus as a command center with only one exit point left him no room to maneuver when the enemy showed up at his doorstep.Due to his blunders we lost ten years of work in a matter of months.  A sloppy operation all around, sir."

He waved her off, "Thank you, Caroline."

"Yes sir," she said.

She was correct in all points. His counterpart overconfidence cost them dearly and now it was up to him to pick up the pieces. He opened another holo-window. It showed a real time picture of a civilian shuttle in flight courtesy of one thousands of intel satellites in orbit around colonies across the galaxy, courtesy of  Van Buren Infotek, formerly Tai-Yong Cybersecurity out of Hong Kong. Disguised as communications satellites and linked to the extranet through the comm-buoy system they served as one of the platforms at his disposal.

"It seems that Lord Darcy's men are equally as ineffective.  Perhaps it is time to give them a wake up call," he said aloud. With a press of a button he sent a message to one Major Wagner of the Libertas Defense Force. "Perhaps this will motivate them." He then put out the butt of the cigarette in ashtray on the armrest, lit another and continued with his work.


	50. Preparations

Conference Room, SSV Kurks SR-3, In orbit around Libertas, Sphinx System, Argos Rho Cluster, Attican Traverse, September 10, 2197

I reached down to the holo-interface and rotated a top down image of a large house, "Thanks to our new found friends," Miranda raised an eyebrow, "we know that the cream of Libertas' society will converge on a party hosted by Johan Damacy, Lord Darcy twin brother and the colony's Finance Minister, to pay their taxes via filling the Church of the Dominionist Reformation's collection plate. The good Lord Darcy will be in attendance to thank them personally."

"And where ever the Magistrate goes, Petrova is not far behind," added Vega.

"Correct," I zoomed in a trio of figures on the perimeter. "Now for the security. We have four sets of patrols composed of two guards armed with heavy pistols and a FENRIS security mech. They patrol in two shifts for a total of sixteen guards and eight mechs. We don't know if there are anymore inside, but Darcy has a personal guard of between two to four plainclothes special police officers."

Pasha chimed in,"Then you have his rapid response team. Alliance intel is sketchy on the exact numbers but it is estimated that three gunships are in quick reaction alert with an arrival on target no later than fifteen minutes from any alert."

Vega leaned back against the bulkhead with his arms across his chest, "Figure one is there to extract the principal while the other two fly cover. They could also deploy troops as well. Say a squad each."

"Which is why I want to keep this op simple and quiet. Emphasis on the quiet. Ideas?"

"Catering could work for cover. It's a large party and people gotta eat," said Vega.

"It is simple, but I don't want to rely on a single ingress and egress route," I said.

"We enter through the front door," said Miranda.

I turned to Miranda,"Go on."

Miranda smirked,  "Considering the tense situation between the Theocracy and the Alliance a clever Finance Minister would welcome a rich socialite with important friends in Arcturus."

"Going in as the wife of a Spectre could be awkward," I said.

"I have a catalog of aliases ready with full credentials. And to make my cover more credible, I will need a pair of bodyguards to accompany me. Say somebody with experience in guarding ViPs and an infiltrator would do nicely," she said.

Vega and I looked at each other. "Sounds like we have our way in as well. Now, how do we secure the target...."


	51. Soiree

"Sir, our contacts on planet dismissed the intel we provided them."

"Do we still have eyes on target?"

"We do."

"Then it is time to activate other assets."

"Understood."

Estancia House, Arcadian Fields, Libertas, Sphinx System, Argos Rho Cluster, Attican Traverse, September 10, 2197

Vega and I followed Miri at a respectable distance, close enough to be seen but far enough to giver her space to mingle. The elite of Libertas exchanged polite conversation over champagne and hors d'oeuvres. The gentlemen wore their Sunday best, while the wives competed with each other with a wide array of glittering jewelry.

_So much for religious humility._

Miranda was not the only one who had bodyguards nearby. Four burly guards flanked Lord Darcy as he made his way through the assembled guests. Four plains clothes militia tried to blend with the crowd but their eyes were always on Darcy. Our target, Alana Petrova, trailed Darcy. She matched Darcy's artful glad handling of the men in the room with light smooches to their wives.

"Looks like she is more than a member of his entourage," whispered Vega.

"Maybe she is angling to become the next Missus Darcy," I said.

Johnson voice came through the comms, "Sir, we are detecting a---interfe----do you---py."

<Broadband interference detected. Area-wide communications jamming in progress>

I responded to my VI warning by pulling my gun from my jacket. Before I could shout a warning, the world exploded around us.  A wall of shattered glass cut through the crowed. Thunder punctuated by dozens of screams filled the air.  The lights went out. The only illumination came from the headlights the truck that crashed through the mansion's eastern wall. Figures armed with submachine guns sprayed the air in wide arcs. I took cover behind a table, put the Phalanx's laser sight between the eyes of my target and double tapped the trigger. The man's head snapped back on the first impact. The second round blew through his barrier and exploded the back of his head. Vega landed several shots on another attacker. She went down in a heap. Darcy's guards exchanged fire with another group of assailants.

"Let me go!" screamed a woman followed by a stream of curses in Russian. Miranda dragged Petrova toward the kitchens.

"Vega take point, I'll cover you."

"Will do jefe!"

I took a few more potshots at the enemy before I booked it. Deep black puddles marred the mirror finish of the Italian marble floor.  
The wait staff cowered in every nook available to them. We sped past the kitchen into the loading dock only to find the caterer's truck in flames.

"So much for our exit," I said.

Gunfire reverberated in the kitchen.

"Help me," cried Petrova at the top of her lungs.

I pointed past the burning wreck. "This way."

The grounds were littered with craters and body parts. More wrecked cars filled the parking area alongside the torn bodies of the valets. I picked the closest one that looked intact. My VI worked the security lock.

<Systems override in progress>

"Less talking and more hacking."

Seconds ticked by as the gunfire intensified inside the mansion.

<Vehicle unlocked>

We piled in. I took the driving seat. The air car zoomed away from the carnage. Several flashes of light appeared  below us.

"Hold on."

I banked and zigzagged my way through a volley of rocket fire.

" _Bud'ty proklyat,_ " screamed our guest of honor.

"At least they are not gunships," I said.

"The rapid response team can't be far behind, jefe," said Vega.

A minute later the VI chimed in.

<Jamming cleared. Incoming transmission>

"Sir, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Johnson," I said.

"Shuttle is on its way to your location," said Johnson.

"Good work."

We landed in a snow covered field. The Kodiak came in a minute later. A squad of marines jumped out and secured the perimeter. At the sight of the marines Petrova deflated. We boarded the shuttle and made a hasty retreat from the colony.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Mass Effect/After Earth Chronicles: Soundtrack Side A](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4794158) by [Rafael](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rafael/pseuds/Rafael)




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